Rise of the AntiChasers
by Umbra the new chaser
Summary: The Anti-Chasers return and wreak their havok upon Terra, Ven, and Aqua.
1. Chapter 1: The Forgotten Few

Note: I do not own Kingdom Hearts or it's characters, content, etc.

Terra, Ventus, and Aqua start getting closer to the gates of twilight town while the sun starts to set.

Ven looks at Terra who seems to be acting a bit nervous and asks, "Terra, are you ok?"

Terra gets closer to Ven as the three continue walking.

Terra whispers into Ven's ear, "I don't really know if I should do what I'm about to do."

Ven looks over at Aqua to make sure she wasn't listening.

"What is it?", Ven asked.

"I...I...don't really know if I can tell you Ven. Of all people, you would be the first to get mad."

"Why would I get mad? Seriously, tell me."

"I just can't...I want to, but I can't."

"I see...well, maybe when it happens, I'll try my best to keep it together", Ven said asurring.

"Trust me, after this...I don't really know if you can. Well...I guess I'll still go along with it."

Terra walks over to Aqua.

"Hey Aqua, how are you doing?", Terra asked nervously.

Aqua gave no response and continued walking staring strait foward, not blinking.

"Aqua?"

Aqua shakes her head and comes back to her senses. Lifting up her right hand, she finds the key that she had kept in her pocket.

Terra looks at the black key in her hand and says calmly, "It's been a month now, Aqua. I think maybe it's time we let go of what happened with him and his Anti-Chasers.

Aqua begins to look as if she was about to cry so Terra holds her comfortingly whilst they continued walking towards the gates.

"Are you ok, Aqua?", Terra asked.

"I'm fine. I was just...thinking about...stuff."

"I know what you might be experiencing Aqua. I'm not sure if you CAN really get over what happened."

Aqua nodded in agreement and tried to think of something else to stop feeling so depressed.

The three enter the gates to Twilight Town.

"Well, now we're here in Twilight Town!", Ven said.

Terra whispers to Ven, "Ok, now I think I might just do it now, but not here. I think I know the perfect spot."

Terra spots a Gummi Ship for sale and tries to buy it off the sailer, while Ven and Aqua walked over to the food stands to get something to eat.

"Alright, now how much are the cheeseburgers?", Ven asked the cashier.

"20 munny", the cashier replied.

Aqua rolls her eyes and smiles, "Ven your such a messy eater."

Ven, who just wolfed down his burger, said, "I know, I'm not really good at eating manners."

"Don't you mean table manners?"

"I don't see a table."

Aqua giggled and got something to tie her over for now.

Terra walked up to them and said, "Alright guys, I got a ship. I want this to be...a little special."

"Shouldn't we be looking for Xehanort and Vanitas?", Ven replied.

"We'll come back, Ven. I just want this to last as long as possible, while the sun is still barely out."

"Well, let's go then", Aqua said in bordem.

The three fly to the Destiny Islands and upon landing, Terra said to Ventus, "Hey Ven, why don't you just do whatever you want to while we're here."

Terra reaches into his munny bag and hands Ven 300 munny.

"Don't spend it all on one place!", Terra demanded.

Ven replied excitedly, "I won't!"

Ven ran towards the shops with enthusiasm.

Terra and Aqua walk towards the boardwalk and sit on the bench next by, watching the sunset together while the tropical flowers blew their petals around the area.

Aqua, nearly asleep from exhaustion, rests her head on Terra's shoulder.

Terra looks at her and says, "You look tired."

"I'm just so worn out."

"Yeah, I know how it feels."

Terra looks at the orange sun, barely out and says calmly, "I wish moments like this didn't have to end, where we can just relax a little."

"I bet we both do."

Ven returns, only to see them together on the bench, and hides behind a tree with his video camera he just bought and starts filming them in secret.

Terra stands and says, "Aqua, I don't know if I'm ready to do this or not."

"I'm not following you Terra...."

"I've waiting awhile and I grow weary of waiting so here it goes..."

Terra kneels down and pulls a tiny box from his pocket and opens it. Inside is a golden ring with a diamond on the top.

Aqua gasps and puts her hand to her mouth.

Ven watches them both and starts frowning as if scared.

"Aqua...will you marry me?"

Aqua picks the ring up, puts it on, and starts crying.

"Aqua?"

"Hmm?"

"Your supposed to say something."

"I...I..."

Before Aqua could say a thing, Ven drops the camera, still recording, and runs with tears in his face.

Terra shouted, "Ven, wait!"

"I was hoping that wouldn't happen!"

"Don't worry, Terra. We'll find Ven and explain it to him."

"I don't know if I should have done this or not. Now I feel horrible because I just couldn't tell Ven about this to begin with. I thought he might have done that if I did."

"Personally, I think we would have understood."

"You really think so..."

Terra gets cut off as a clip-clop noise coming from an approaching shadowy figure is heard.

"Hello Terra!"

Terra and Aqua become overjoyed to see who it was.

"Did you miss us?", Umbra said.

The Anti-Chasers appeared next to him, and Aqua ran to Umbra and give him a big hug.

Terra walked up and shook Umbra's hand, "Nice to see you all again."

Aqua shouted excitedly, "I knew you wouldn't go away forever, I just knew it! The letter you three wrote us was right!"

"So what are you guys doing here? I thought you were all looking for Xehanort", Terra commented.

Avis replied, "We're looking for a fight!"

Terra frowned and looked at them confused, "From me?"

"No, not from you Terra. I'm glad that you proposed. I'm happy for you and I hope you have a good future together unless...someone else comes into play...which is why we are actually here", Umbra explained.

"So, what is it?", Terra asked.

Umbra looked into the tree behind Terra and Aqua and noticed the discoloration inside of it.

Umbra points to the inside of the tree and shouts, "We're here to stop...Him!"

Ven jumps out of the tree and swings his keyblade with anger, but is immediatly blocked by Umbra.

"Hello Ven! Long time no see. You certainly look horrible right now with all the rage."

"I've had worse!", replied Ven while he continuously attacked Umbra with all of his hatred trying to reach Terra.

Umbra backflips back and shouts to Avis and Nex, "Attack plan, Delta! Let's move!"

Umbra ran towards Ven in the middle, while Avis flew towards Ven on the right, and Nex rode his hoverboard towards Ven on the left, which in all formed a sort of "V".

Ven, with all of his anger, was able to keep off the Anti-Chasers while Nex pulled out his guns, that he had been carrying on his thighs, and Ven and Nex got into an old Western style shoot out.

Ven and Nex hid behind trees for cover and Ven pulled a sneaky quick-fire on Nex and shot him in the shoulder.

Nex shouted, "Ahhhhhhhh! Son of a bitch! He shot me in the fucking shoulder!"

While Nex dug the bullet out of his shoulder with a knife, Avis flew towards Ven and blocked all of his attacks by swinging his head and body.

Avis whisperd, "My turn!"

Avis flew strait as a bullet, grabbed ahold of Ven, and slamed him into a tree.

"Still haven't learned to fight well, Ven, as I can see!", Avis commented.

Ven headbutted Avis, uppercutted him, and then jumped towards Terra with his Keyblade ready for the kill.

Umbra appeared and punched Ven strait in the gut, bringing Ven to his knees.

Ven stabs his keyblade into Umbra, but Umbra merely sighs, reaches behind his back, and bends the end of the Keyblade and laughs while Ven tries to pull it out.

Umbra punches Ven in the face and knocks him out. He then looks at Terra and Aqua's scared faces and says, "Think we can find a hotel here for the night and see if we can focus on what's going on around here?"

Terra looks away from the others and says, "I shouldn't have done this. I should have thought this through. I ruined our day and turned it into a nightmare for all of us."

Umbra placed his hand on his shoulder and looks at the glassy sea, which reflected the starry night sky, with him.

"I don't blame you for what you did, Terra. I know, from our last little trip, what it feels like to put yourself to blame for other people's actions. Ven was just being corrupted in his own mind with sadness and revenge."

Aqua takes off the diamond ring on her finger and hands it back to Terra.

"Terra...if this is what happens just the first time you asked, then perhaps...maybe we should wait."

"Aqua, I can't believe I'm saying this, but I couldn't agree more."

Terra and Aqua kiss and Umbra shakes his head and smiles.

"You see that guys...One who loves others, but never one. A true heart is proven...."

Umbra looks into the sky.

"And yet a black heart dies...."

Aqua begins to shiver.

"Come on, it's getting cold out and we should get a room so we can find out anything to help Ven out right now", Terra spoke calmly.

Terra placed his overshirt over Aqua and walked towards the hotel to get a room, while the Anti-Chasers carried Ven and caught up with them.

While in the room of the hotel, Ven awakens on a bed, with the TV on, and rubs his forehead.

"How are you doing, Ven?", Terra asked.

"Why did you propose to her, Terra? Why couldn't you have just told me out back in Twilight Town? I would have understood it better."

"I just couldn't! I was nervous and scared that you might have done something drastic like that! She didn't give an answer either and she decided not to marry after the Umbra stopped you."

"Wait a minute...Umbra! Where is he?"

Ven looks around the room, only to find that he and Terra are the only one's inside.

"Where is everybody else?", Ven shouted.

Ven hears laughter from the balcony to his left, gets out of his bed, and steps outside.

"Ah Ven!", Umbra spoke. "How are you doing? Sorry about the smack to the head, but you were more crazy than Xehanort."

Ven does not bother to look at Aqua for what he has done and decides it better just to look down.

"Aqua...I'm sorry about earlier. I couldn't help myself. I just....love you too."

"Ven...I'm up here for one!", Aqua said as she lifted up his head as he shed his tears. "Ven, I realize now what happens when something like that goes on. One affects the other."

Aqua hugs Ven and says, "I'm sorry too!"

Umbra, from out of the blue, says, "I know what it feels like, Ven. The power...the anger...it feels good! But, you'll lose yourself and hurt the one you love most more than the one you were going after. And don't even say "I like being bad" because I know you and that is NOT who you are!"

Ven looks at Umbra in shock, as if he read his mind, and asks, "How do you know that?"

Umbra stared into the night with a hollow expression and said, "Because I had love too....once."

Everyone hears the TV on in the room talking about something important happening live on the island and go inside to listen.

Nex and Avis look at Umbra and he says, "I think their's something else bad on the island besides us here." 


	2. Chapter 2: A special day

Note: I do not own Kingdom Hearts or it's characters, content, etc.

The hero's run toward a cliff that was shown on the news, but as they ran, Avis stops as Vanitas, the apprentice of Xehanort, attacks him.

Avis blocks and sends him flying toward Umbra, who catches him in a choke hold with one hand. Umbra then uppercuts him into the air.

Terra, Ven, and Aqua leap up and smash him down with mighty force.

Nex slides beneath him and shoots Vanitas several times, although most of the bullets bounce off.

Just before Vanitas hit the ground, Avis stabs him in the chest from underneath, holding his keyblade in the air.

Vanitas teleports away and they all run back to the hotel to finally get some sleep.

Everyone, except Avis, sleeps well that night. Avis waits quietly while they sleep. The first to wake is Umbra and he walks to the door quietly.

"Where you going?", Avis asks.

"Out", was all Umbra said back.

Nex went out to see about any Hoverboard parks around, Aqua went to take a walk, and Ven and Terra went to work things out a little more.

Avis walks to the balcony and sighs, but then Nex walked back in which makes Avis turn.

"Where is he?" asks Avis in his deep, rich voice.

"On the beach with a cold one in his hand. Where else?", answers Nex.

Avis sights, "This is a good day, no matter what. Ven and Terra aren t trying to kill each other today."

"But you do know what day it is, don't you Avis?", asked Nex.

"Of course I do...Well I don't know about you, but I'm going to find Aqua and the four of us can get together and hang out. You go and wait with Umbra", said Avis and he flies out the window.

As he scans the ground swiftly, he spots Ven and Terra walking and talking.

"At least there still okay", Avis thinks to himself.

After awhile, he spots Aqua walking quietly along a path.

He lands beside her silently and asks, "So, how are you?", which makes Aqua jump with fright.

Avis catches her before she falls over.

He shakes his head, "Silly girl, It's only me", Avis said and chuckled quietly.

"Sorry, you just startled me. Are you always that quiet?", Aqua asked.

"Yeah, mostly", Avis replied, "Something you re going to have to get used to", he smiles a perfect smile.

Aqua grins back shyly, suddenly feeling well at ease and comfortable in his gentle arms.

"So what's up?", she asked.

"Well, I came to take you to the beach if you want to go. It'll just be you, me, Nex, and Umbra. Want to go?", Avis asked.

"Sure", she smiles and thinks to herself, "As long as I don't have to see Ven and Terra, I'm good. So, how are we getting there?", she asked out loud.

Avis smiles, "How would you like to get there?"

Aqua blushes and asks, "Can we fly there?"

"Absolutely", he replies, "I promise I'll go slowly so you don't get TOO sick."

Aqua blushes more when he stands up and she has her arms around his neck while he cradles her in his arms.

She slowly looks at every detail in his face: his silvery-white hair, golden eyes with the shadows around them, and his pale skin. She stares in slight awe at his literally angelic features.

"Ready?", Avis suddenly asks making her jump again.

"Yes", was all she could manage to get out then Avis quietly pumped his powerful wings and they were airborne.

Avis flew slowly, mostly gliding, so Aqua would get the most time to see everything. Of course she did make one mistake, she looked down once, but only once. As they got closer to the beach where Umbra and Nex had made a fire, Aqua noticed the bottles in their hands.

Aqua whispers into Avis's ear, "Why are they drinking?"

Avis whispers back, "It's the day Nex has been waiting on for a year."

"Which is?"

Avis smirks and whispers, "His eighteenth birthday."

Aqua gives him a slightly worried look, "He doesn't want me to strip for him or anything does he?"

At this, Avis allows a chuckle, "No, silly Aqua. He isn't that lucky because I won't allow it. Umbra is going to take him to club later this evening. We can talk more later."

They touch down safely and he sets her on her feet. She smiles and hugs him and he hugs her back.

"Thanks for the ride", she giggles.

"Anytime you want, miss Aqua", Avis replied and he kissed her hand.

Later that evening, Avis and Aqua go back to the hotel room and talk with their inside voices, but are both laughing quietly.

"So, sounds like Nex is a little bit of a klutz, huh?", asked Aqua.

"Only when he gets excited", chuckles Avis.

Aqua lays her head on his lap and smiles up at him.

"You never said much before, why not?"

Avis shrugs, "Dunno"

He takes off his shirt revealing a white six pack chest that looks like it was carved from a giant, pale sandstone. Aqua jaw drops and she slowly runs her fingers over his chest.

"Has anyone ever told you how absolutely stunning you are?", she asked nearly breathless.

He smiles wide, "Has anyone ever told you how your hair shimmers beautifully in the moon light?", he counters.

For the first, Aqua noticed the lights were off.

Instantly she blushes, but asks, "Can I touch your wings?"

He answers by simply spreading them and wrapping them around her. She smiles at him and curls up in his lap.

"This is so nice. I love moments like these. Avis, you're my best friend", She smiles wide.

He smiles in return, "Aww, thanks Aqua. You're my best friend too."

"Avis...can I call you bubba?", She blushes.

He smiles and shakes his head, "Sure"

Their laughter was interrupted by the lights turning on and Ven and Terra walking in. 


	3. Chapter 3: Clash of the Beasts

Note: I do not own Kingdom Hearts or it's characters, content, etc.

Ven and Terra are enraged at what they see before them.

"What the hell are you doing?!", Terra shouted.

Ven steps up, "You replace us two with him? He's one of the Anti-Chasers too!"

Aqua gets up from the bed and screams, "You two think that you control my life or my choices? Do you think I care about what you think about my other friends?"

"WE DO WHAT'S NECESSARY FOR ALL OF US!", Terra shouted.

"You and Umbra were one thing, but this has just gotten too far Aqua!", Ven added.

Aqua walks up, about to slap the hell out of Ven and Terra, but gets interrupted by a loud growl and a scream coming from outside.

Avis jumps off the balcony and lands perfectly on the ground, while the others took the stairs.

"The sound came from the beach, I think", Avis said.

The group ran towards the beach to see Umbra standing alone, looking out at sea.

Avis walks up to him, "Umbra? All you alrigh....."

Avis gets cut off as Umbra turns with Nex's body being carried in his teeth.

Avis turns to Aqua behind him and hands her his armor and keyblade.

"Here Aqua, hang on to these and don't lose them."

Aqua looks at Avis scared and confused.

"Why?", was all she could manage to get out.

"There is one thing I forgot to tell you, sweet Aqua."

"What is it?", she replied.

Avis starts to sprout fangs and his eyes, which were a nice batter of gold, become blood red. The feathered wings disappear into leather-like bat wings while his claws become sharp and elongated. Umbra sheds his skin, revealing jet-black fur and yellow eyes.

The two beasts run towards one another and collide with claws slicing and teeth gnashing, ripping, and biting.

Aqua runs around the beasts and carries Nex's unconscious body over to Ven and Terra.

"What are you doing Umbra?!", Avis shouts. "Remember who you are Umbra...our friend!"

Umbra transforms back into his human self again, but is still blood-thirsty. Umbra runs after Avis, but he punches Umbra so hard that it threw him all the way out to the water at the end of the beach.

Unfortunately, as soon as Umbra got near the water, it FROZE and Umbra landed on his two feet.

"Oh my god!", says Avis with hesitation.

Avis turns to the others behind him, "Guys, we're in trouble! Umbra's gotten so cold hearted that he freezes the water."

Nex wakes up and says, "Hey Avis, we can hold him down, but he'll need blood from the chasers in order to quit out his game."

Avis shakes his head yes and signals Terra, Ven, and Aqua to get over to their position.

"Nex is right guys. To rid Umbra of his old master's spell, you'll need to feed him the blood of a pure heart...your blood."

Terra shouts, "Are you insane?!"

"Me? Maybe a little. As for Umbra, he will be permanently if you don't!"

Aqua walks up and says, "I'll do it!"

Avis and Nex run on the frozen ice to hold Umbra down while Aqua pricks her finger and wipes it on his lips with Terra and Ven doing the same afterward. Umbra's yellow eyes started to fade back into their normal blue and he says not a word, but only runs to the town and starts leaping off of buildings.

Avis and Nex fly through the air, scanning the ground and rooftops in search of their fallen friend. Nex spots Aqua, Ven, and Terra on a rooftop and lands quietly to eavesdrop on what they were saying.

"I don't feel safe anymore guys!", Aqua said.

"Don't worry Aqua, he'll turn up...one way or another", replied Terra.

"It's not just him that I'm concerned about. It's that now I've still got you two boys to deal with about the incident in the hotel room and there's also Avis and Nex to be worried about."

Ven butts in, "Nex is a mysterious one, isn't he?"

Nex comes out from the shadows, "Hey! What did you mean by that Ven?!"

All of them jump with fright.

"Whoa Nex, you nearly gave me a heart attack", Ven replied with his hand on his chest.

"Sorry if I did that, I get that a lot."

Aqua rolls her eyes, "Oh great, now you've come to try and hit on me now. Looks like you re a little late for that, Terra and Ven here beat you to it!"

Nex turns around and shouts, "CRAP!"

Ven and Terra start laughing hysterically until they hear somebody breathing deeply and look at the roof above to see Umbra, who was watching down on them, start to run again, but is caught on his shirt by Terra.

Umbra stops running and stands strait, deciding to accept denial, while Aqua walks up to him.

"How could you hurt your own friends? How could you do something like that to us?", Aqua shouted to him.

Umbra spoke nothing until Aqua starts punching Umbra on the chest shouting with anger and tears, "You are never supposed to harm your friends! You never hurt them! You take care of them...like a FAMILY!"

Umbra grabs hold of both of Aqua's arms and she falls on his chest, broken in tears. Umbra holds Aqua to comfort her with no expression on his face while Avis, who had been watching the whole ordeal, lands on the roof with the others.

Umbra breaks the silence, "I'll see you back at the hotel room. I've got some thinking to do."

Avis flies Aqua back to the hotel while Nex flew Ven and Terra back on his Hoverboard. Umbra, however, leaped a giant leap back to the balcony of the hotel and sat down with a bottle of his favorite Italian liquor in his right hand. The boys put Aqua in her bed to cry herself to sleep and step outside with shot glasses that Avis told them to bring out with them.

"So...how you doing Umbra?", Avis asked.

"Put yourself in my position...how would you feel?", Umbra replied as he sat down the bottle of liquor and went inside the dark bedroom alone. Umbra walks over to Aqua, still crying, awake in her bed.

"Aqua, I will make sure that NOTHING like that ever happens twice."

"Umbra, don't try to convince me...."

Umbra interrupts, "I'm not lying!"

Aqua kisses Umbra slowly and Umbra falls to sleep on her bed.

"Stay with me tonight Umbra."

Umbra tiredly replies, "Fine...Goodnight!"

Aqua quietly whispers, "Goodnight" and her eyes close.

The boys come in from the balcony. Avis was the first to notice Umbra asleep on Aqua's bed.

"Well...at least she's not crying anymore. I think she could use his company tonight after all that crap that's gone on tonight", Avis said.

Terra demanded, "Avis, maybe you should keep an eye on Umbra tonight and make sure he doesn't go anywhere."

Avis shakes his head, "Sure."

Later, while everyone, except Avis, sleeps, Umbra walks to the balcony with Avis following quietly behind.

"Don't worry Avis, I'm just out here enjoying the cold air," Umbra stated.

"Your damn bottle of liquor is gone you know."

"Like I care...I'll just get more. I must have been corrupted something fierce to have been that way."

Avis looks away, "It's not all your fault Umbra. It's over now and you NEED sleep after all that especially from drinking."

Umbra returns back to Aqua's bed.

Avis whispered quietly, "Sleep well Umbra...and may "he" never come back to you again. His hunt is over, but his hound still remains." 


	4. Chapter 4: The Wrath Unleashed

Note: I do not own Kingdom Hearts or it's characters, content, etc.

Avis wakes up Nex and they both walk around the block while it's still night time.

"Well Nex, we've got us a mess on our hands, don't we?"

"Hell yeah we do!", Nex replies, "We really do. By the way, where did that bottle of liquor go?"

"Umm...", Avis looks down, "Down the hatch."

Nex shakes his head.

"Well damn it, I like cherries!", shouted Avis.

Nex looks up with a confused face, "Huh?"

"It's Cherrie flavored."

"OOOOO-Kay."

They continue to walk in silence. Suddenly, Avis starts to hear ringing.

"What the fuck? You have a cell?", Nex said.

"Yeah, so? Hello?...yeah...yes...okay, I'll be right there." He hangs up. "Got to go, see ya." Avis takes off flying.

Nex looks up watching him and goes back to the hotel. When he gets back, he asks, "Hey Umbra, when did Avis get a cell?"

"What do you mean? He's had one forever."

Aqua looks up, "Yeah, he has."

Nex starts yelling, "What the hell?!? Why doesn't anyone tell me this shit?!?!"

"Wait a minute...why does Terra have my damn empty liquor bottle?"

Umbra kicks Terra awake, "What the hell man?!?"

Terra stands up, starts to say something, then falls on his face and starts snoring.

Nex shakes his head. Umbra walks to the fridge and opens it. Instantly he gets pissed.

"Those bastards", Umbra mumbles.

Nex and Aqua start laughing, Nex falls over laughing so hard it makes him shake all over and Aqua holds the wall for support. They all stop laughing when they hear a knock at the door.

As the silence continued, Avis asked from the balcony, having silently landed, making everyone except Umbra jump, "Well, are you going to let him in?"

Umbra, still grumbling, opens the door, but stops mid-sentence when he saw who it was.

"Hello Umbra. Remember me?", the man said.

"Well of course I do! How have you been my friend?", Umbra cheers.

"Well...I've been dead for one", replied the man.

"Oh...right. Well, glad your back!"

"Good to be back"

They both laugh until Nex interrupts, "Wait, Umbra...Avis...who is this guy? And what's with the halo above his head? And how does he know you? And how-"

Aqua cuts him off by covering his mouth.

Umbra smiles wide and replies, "This is Ignis. He's your father, Nex."

Nex turns to Avis, who nodded in agreement, then turns to his father slowly.

Ignis smiles at him then looks to Avis and says, "Avis, how have your skills improved? Shall we go to the beach so you can show me?"

Avis silently nods, then flies toward the beach. Ignis turns out the door to take the stairs. Aqua takes her hand off Nex's mouth and looks at Umbra, who is walking towards the door.

"Where are you going now?", she asked.

"To the store, I need my liquor."

Nex jumps out the window quietly. Aqua sighs at the other two chasers.

"Leaving me to deal with these two drunks, huh?"

Umbra turns and just before he shuts the door, Umbra blankly answers, "Yep" and leaves.

When Umbra gets outside, he notices Nex looking up into the sky. Umbra looks up and sees a massive airship in the starry night sky. Xehanort, boldly, stands on the end of it, looking down at Umbra.

"Anti-Chasers! Your end has come!", he calls down at them, shortly before he leaps down to attack Umbra, but is hit by Avis and Ignis which sends Xehanort back to the ship.

Nex begins to run so fast, he is less than a blur. He then leaps into the air and explodes, literally, into a massive dragon and he roars so loud that Umbra loses his footing and falls on his ass.

"Damn, Nex. Go lizard go!"

The dragon rages his scythe-like claws at the hull of the airship, tearing small parts off, but really not doing much damage surprisingly.

He burst fire at it, but Vanitas fights it off with many quick casts of Blizaga. Nex roars with anger and backhands Vanitas off the ship.

Xehanort fights back Avis and Ignis with great difficulty as Nex rips the ship to shreds. Umbra takes his time walking to the battle, elongated claws out, humming a nice tune.

"Last fire will rise...behind those eyes...black house will rock...blind boys don't lie! Immortal fear...that voice so clear...through broken walls...that scream I hear!"

As Umbra walks, Vanitas hurdles towards him and he flies past Umbra and as he flies by, Umbra says, "Hi Vanitas! Umm...bye Vanitas..."

Vanitas bounces off the ground like a bouncy ball about ten feet from where Umbra was standing and keeps going.

Nex then chases Vanitas after destroying the ship, and as he flies by, Umbra says, "Hi Nex! Umm...bye Nex... Gee whiz, why is everyone in such a rush?"

He keeps on walking slowly humming to himself.

"Blue masquerade...strangers look on...when will they learn...this loneliness? Temptation heat...beats like a drum...deep in your veins...I will not lie!"

As he notices Xehanort fighting Avis and Ignis, he sets down his bottle of liquor and draws his keyblade, then starts to run.

A grin of excitement crosses his face just before he leaps into the Frey.

Umbra's first target was Vanitas so Umbra jumped off Nex's shoulders, spins in the air, and kicks Vanitas with his killer steel toe boots, which crack his helmet.

Vanitas gets on the torn ship, while Umbra jumps toward Xehanort and grabs him by the shoulders and starts shaking him back and forth.

"Xehanort! You can't beat the Anti-Chasers! Don't try to attack us again! I'll kick your ass tomorrow! Just let me grab my damn bottle of liquor and go to sleep! Ok!?!?"

Xehanort looks at Umbra with a trembling face and says, "Ok"

Xehanort and Vanitas jump to disappear into the sky with the ruined airship while Umbra turns, picks up his bottle, and heads back to the hotel.

"Damn! You were more pissed off than anything!", Avis said.

"I'm tired! I want to sleep for once and I can't with all this crap going on around me!"

Umbra walks to Ignis and shakes his hand.

"Ignis, it was nice seeing you again. Maybe we could tell Nex more about you when we think he should know."

Ignis, Avis, and Umbra give a group huddle and Ignis takes off back into the sky with Nex watching with a tear going down his cheek.

"Don't worry, Nex. Someday, eventually, we'll tell you more about it.", Umbra reluctantly adds.

Avis answers back, "Yeah, but for right now...let's get back to the hotel so you and your drunk ass can get some sleep, for once!"

The Anti-Chasers return to the dark hotel room and Umbra returns to Aqua's bed and looks at the clock.

"3:15? Ah man!"

Umbra's eyes slowly and tiredly close and he drifts off to sleep.

Umbra's eyes quickly open with yellow color. He leans over to Aqua, who is sleeping on her side. Slowly he breathes on her vulnerable, open neck. His canines become exposed and his teeth get closer to her neck, almost about to take a bite, when suddenly...Umbra awakens. All of the others were standing in front of the bed staring at him.

"Relax Umbra, you just had a bad dream.", Aqua said calmly.

Umbra notices the sun shining through the window and looks at the clock that reads 7:20 a.m.

Terra says, "Looks like you were having a crazy dream."

"He has a lot of crazy dreams!", Avis replied.

Ven asks, "How bad was it? Terrible? Scary?"

Umbra looks at Ven, "You have no idea..."

Umbra looks at Aqua's arm which has a bleeding claw mark on it.

"Ah shit. Are you alright Aqua?"

"It's nothing bad, it just...happens."

"So...I guess what you re trying to say is, you re used to it?"

"I guess...Don't take it so hard on yourself Umbra. It really doesn't matter to us what you are."

Avis says, "Yeah and you know what I am so, technically, we're even here."

Umbra blankly replies, "Yeah...I just wish I didn't have that happen to people whilst they sleep."

Umbra quickly cast heal upon Aqua for her bleeding cut, gets up from the bed, and cracks his neck.

"Well, I think I'm fit for another day I think. Fit enough to take on a mortal adversary...without killing them."

Everyone goes into the bathroom and starts preening themselves in the mirror getting ready for the new day in front of them. 


	5. Chapter 5: The Past Remembered

Note: I do not own Kingdom Hearts or it's characters, content, etc.

As everyone starts getting ready to start their day, the Avis and Umbra seem to link minds and remember a certain, special event in their past.

(flashback)  
Seventeen years ago, the Anti-Chasers were three...the best damn keybladers anyone had ever known or seen. The Anti-Chasers were in luck, for once there were only two and now three with their newest and one of the most powerful yet...Ignis. Upon their quest to kill Xehanort and Vanitas, the three seem to be the best fighting force that most came to fear and with it...empires would fall, armies would kneel, and people like Xehanort, who thought they were so powerful, were left in a pool of their own blood. Upon walking to Traverse Town, the three walked and talked learning more about themselves and their pasts...like three drunk bastards after a bachelor party.

"So...why are we going to Traverse Town?", Umbra asked.

"To get my stuff at my hideout there. It's nothing more than an apartment with a bed...very simple hideout", Ignis replied.

Avis asked, "So Ignis, why do you want to kill Xehanort?"

Ignis's eyes shut for a few seconds and he slowly opened them.

"Many, many years ago, one of my ancestors had a nice settlement somewhere close to Rome, Italy. It was a very beautiful place with lots of natural wonders around and they lived in prosperity. However, a man had come to the town one day calling himself, "Xehanort". He tried to find, what he said, the door to the heart of all hearts. No one had known what he was talking about and they were all slaughtered...including my ancestor. Luckily, my ancestor was in luck...his son ran far away before the people were killed and his father, my ancestor, told what happened to two young warriors."

Umbra and Avis looked at each other in shock.

"You think we should tell him?", Umbra asked.

"Better now than never", replied Avis.

"Hey Ignis!", Umbra shouted.

"What is it?"

"Was your ancestor then burned by one of the two warriors?"

"Yes, he was. Then his son spread the ashes out into the sea."

"Well at least he told us who did that to the town that day...that was the day Avis and I met...the day Avis joined the Anti-chasers."

Ignis's winced just a little, "What's that supposed to mean Umbra?"

"It means that those two warriors that your ancestor told the information to were us."

"We owe him our lives!", Avis said.

"Yeah, that's true...my ancestor did a great thing...and now look at us. I think I was destined to be with you guys!", Ignis spoke.

Whilst the three continued towards the town, they eventually got held up at the front gates by the guards.

"Halt!", the guard shouted, "No one's to enter right now. The heartless are swarming the grounds and no one is to enter until they have been disposed of."

Ignis, with his short-tempered attitude, objects, "I don't have time for this bull shit! I need to go in there now!"

"Sir, I must warn you. Picking a fight with a guard is a serious crime...I'm warning you for now."

"Ok, screw this. You know what..."

Ignis slams his keyblade into the large gate door which causes it to melt, whilst the guards started coming after Ignis.

Ignis jumps and split-kicks two guards, who ran after him, in the face.

"Oh yeah, I'm glad we have this big bitch on our side!", Umbra said.

The three walked slowly inside and encountered an average sized man with wild brown hair in their way.

"Those were elite guards...a warrior like you could really do well protecting this town."

Ignis replied, "I don't have time for any of this crap, I just want to grab my stuff and get the hell out of here!"

"Well, it's not like I can just let you three go. You just took out 3 guards and destroyed the city gate...come with me or I'll have to use force."

Ignis responds by summoning his giant, fiery, 2-handed keyblade and his magma-like armor, which looked like moving lava down a mountain side.

"Before I decide to eliminate you", Ignis boldly said, "Might I know your name?"

"Leon", was all he said then darted towards Ignis before being backhanded so hard that he flew across the street.

Leon opens his eyes to see Ignis jumping towards him, about to slam his keyblade into him, so he rolls out of the way to avoid his attacks then gets kick by his fiery boots. Leon rolls around in pain while Yufi comes to Leon's aid about to attack Umbra and Avis, who are just standing there.

Unfortunately, whilst Yufi was about to strike Avis and Umbra with her blades, Umbra blocks her attacks with his keyblade and elbows her in the face. Yufi falls to the ground with her hand over her face. Leon runs over to Yufi to check on her.

"Yufi!!!"

Leon picks up and carries Yufi and lies her down on a nearby bench.

"Hold on Yufi, help will be here soon."

Leon turns around, filled with rage only to discover that the three warriors had already left.

Ignis, Umbra, and Avis were in Ignis's apartment hideout which had nothing more than a bed and a baby crib inside.

"Wow Ignis, I didn't know you had a son!", Umbra said.

"Yeah...but he's never had a mother. He's a clone of myself. A year old and already walking like a pro."

Avis butts in, "Well, at least you'll have parenting skills now. Sure beats me and Umbra here who will probably never have parenting skills."

The three laugh until Umbra stops laughing and has nothing but a blank face.

"What is it Umbra?", Avis said, "You sense something?"

"He's near!", was all Umbra would say.

Just as the three were about to head out the door, Leon busts down the door and points his gunblade at Ignis.

"Alright! Nobody make a move and nobody gets hurt!"

Umbra ran and speared Leon to the ground and put him in the masterlock.

Ignis walks up and punches Leon across the face, "Perhaps you can aid us Leon, but just this once and it's just a bit of information."

Leon, trying to gather his strength, asks, "What do you want?"

"We're looking for a person named Xehanort. He's an old man with unbelievable powers...have you seen someone like him? He's usually in a white, buttoned up shirt with a black trench coat over it and white gloves."

Leon's eyes widen at the description that they gave him.

"I have seen him! Right before you three burst in, he was just standing around the streets buying things."

"Probably buying supplies to hide with!", said Avis.

Umbra said to Leon, "Thank you for sharing that with us Leon. Now we have an asshole to kill!"

Umbra then drops Leon on the ground and the three run out.

Back outside the street to the front entrance, Umbra, Avis, and Ignis return while large crowds gathered to see what had happened to the front entrance.

Avis spoke, "Umbra...you know what to do...smell him out!"

Umbra sniffed just once and pointed forward.

"YOU!"

The Anti-Chasers jumped and struck Xehanort, who blocked their attacks, while the crowd scattered.

Ignis attacked with the most ferocity and the strongest blows.

Xehanort, surrounded by three unstoppable keybladers pushed a button on a small remote and dropped it on the ground.

Ignis punched him, picked up the remote, and shouted, "What is this!?"

Xehanort, with an evil grin, answered, "That, my dear friends, is the remote to the greatest bomb ever devised. When it goes off, all of Traverse Town goes goodnight."

Before the three could do more, Xehanort quickly leaped up and disappeared.

Umbra sniffed out the bomb and found it with only 30 seconds remaining on the countdown.

"Guys, I should do this...", Ignis said in a low voice.

"No Ignis, you re not going to die just to prove how honest you were!", said Avis.

"Avis or I can take care of the bomb and be done with it...and we can't die!", Umbra spoke.

"No...I'm the only one who is strong enough to deal with the hazards of space. I can handle the pressure, you two would never be able to return to Earth...you would be knocked out unconscious forever. It's the only way to save everybody...and my son."

Avis and Umbra knew he was telling the truth and looked down in shame. The three gave a group huddle and Avis said, "Hey, we're brothers...we'll always be there for each other!"

Ignis summoned up his fiery armor and keyblade, grabbed the bomb, and with the atomic pressure created from his boots, he leaped up into the air so high it was as if he were supersonic.

While in the air, the three could feel each other s minds connected and could hear Ignis's last thoughts.

"What makes a man a man? Two friends of mine once taught me that. It's not how powerful you are, or how well known or famous you are...it's about making the right choice in the end...because evil never wins!"

Ignis, in space, watched the bomb hit 0 then closed his eyes and said, "Goodbye guys, I love you...Nex."

The bomb exploded creating the entire sky blood red, then spontaneously clearing up. The crowd cheered while the charred remains of Ignis's body hit the ground outside the town.

Leon approached Umbra and Avis in the street.

"Hey, I know this is hard, but I at least want you to know...sorry about earlier. I'm sorry about your friend too...at least he died a hero."

Umbra replied, "Yeah...theirs that."

"Here, I rescued his son while you left."

Avis spoke, "Hang on to him for a minute and follow us...we want to see something."

Avis, Umbra, and Leon walked just outside of the town gate to find Ignis's body in a crater on the ground. Umbra removed his helmet to find nothing but a burned skeleton inside. Umbra closed his eyes and looked the opposite direction.

Umbra boldly spoke, "We'll bury him here, beneath the crater. His armor and keyblade stay on him since their still in perfect condition...after all, he made them."

"What about his son?", Leon asked.

Avis spoke out, "We don't want another version of ourselves, Leon, so we can't raise him. Put him up for adoption here so that we can have another soldier...just like his father. When the time is right, we'll come for him."

Leon replied, "And when will that be?"

"I don't know. How about 16? That way we have at least two years to train him."

"So be it then", Leon blankly said.

After Umbra buried Ignis, he and Avis started to walk off to continue their quest to destroy Xehanort.

"Hey guys!", Leon shouted, "This kid have a name?"

Avis and Umbra looked at each other and remembered the name that Ignis said before he died.

Avis said back in a low voice, "Nex".

Fifteen years later, Nex is arrested again for bounty hunting which is strictly permitted for him on his parole. The Traverse Town Police escort him by the shoulders to his foster parent s house.

"Nex! What the hell have you done this time!?"

"Mam, Nex here has broken his parole by accepting bounty missions again. His court date is tomorrow!"

"Thank you officers, now I'll deal with him. Good day."

As the officers left, his foster mom shrugged at him angrily and said, "What the hell?"

"Look lady, you re not my real mom and you don't do a thing about me so why do you care anyways? Ask yourself that before you say anything to me!"

Leon, who was sitting down at the table next by, said, "Nex, what are we going to do with you? I put you up for adoption when your father died. I helped raise you from time to time. I came by to check on your progress and just to see you sometimes, now look at yourself."

Nex replied in a shallow voice, "What else do I have to lose?"

Leon shakes his head and said, "Your father would be ashamed of you."

Nex runs upstairs and slams the door to his room.

Leon radios up to Umbra and Avis upstairs and said, "It's time guys."

Nex, in his room, sits up against the door, crying in an almost fetal position thinking about his life, when he heard a noise coming from across his room. His lights were off so he thought to himself maybe he must be imagining things, until Umbra and Avis appeared from the shadows of his room.

Nex saw the two and jumped up with a gun aimed.

"Who are you two?", Nex asked.

"Relax boy!", Umbra said, "We know who you are...my god you've grown! I am Umbra."

"I am Avis...we knew your father."

Nex's eyes widen and his face became intrigued, "My father? You guys knew my father?"

Avis explained, "Yes we did, he was the original third Anti-Chaser. When he died, he passed it on to you I suppose."

Nex curiously and excitedly asked, "What was he like? Was he great? Was he powerful? Who was he?"

Avis continued, "He is the one who forged our armor and keyblades and I think that he even did yours when you were still a child."

Avis pulled out a large, metal box from behind him and opened it. Inside lied black armor with a red hood and two keyblades, along with assortments of guns and ammo.

"What's a keyblade?", Nex asked.

Umbra summons his out, "This is a keyblade! It chooses it's master and guess what son?..."

Nex's keyblades disappear from the box and summon up in Nex's hands.

"...It chose you!"

Nex straps on his armor with excitement.

"So what exactly do you Anti-Chasers do?"

"We try to kill the keyblade master Xehanort, the man who killed your father", Avis explained.

Umbra walks up to Nex, places his hand on his shoulder and said, "So...you in?"

Nex's eyes become angry and he grips his keyblades and only shook his head and said, "Yeah...I'm in!" 


	6. Chapter 6: A new generation

Note: I do not own Kingdom Hearts or its characters, content, etc.

As everyone exits the bathroom and has on their casual clothing, Ven and Aqua begin to pack all their things in bags while Terra goes down to the lobby to check out of the hotel.

"God, I'm finally glad to get out of this hotel room!", Aqua complained.

"How'd we get here in the first place?", Ven asked.

"Hmm...you and Terra had a little bit of a ramble because he proposed to me. It was lucky that the Anti-Chasers came in and stopped you because, for all we knew, you could have tried to kill us and with the way you were acting and fighting you might have succeeded."

"Oh yeah, that. Well...I still don't know how in the world you guys came to forgive me-"

"It was because Umbra helped you get through the problem, he told you that he had to deal with the same thing to!"

"By the way, whatever happened between you and Avis?"

Aqua started to grin, "Well, we haven't said much about it since you and Terra argued about it, especially since Umbra almost killed us after that."

"What's up with him and all of his lycancy problems?"

"So he's a werewolf, I don't mind that. He had his even bigger problems with "it" back when we were at Disney Castle, remember?"

"He must really like you though. I know he can't feel crap, but what made him decide to give you his key that unlocks the chest?"

For a second, Aqua tried to remember that day. She closed her eyes and saw the event unfold.

(Aqua POV)

1 MONTH EARLIER......

Great Kingdom Hearts is closed again, but wait...why are the anti-chasers leaving?

"As long as Xehanort is still around and living, we will always be after him", Avis said.

"Sooner or later, Xehanort and Vanitas will die by our hands eventually, but until that time...we will always be close behind him", Nex said.

The Anti-Chasers begin walking the way Xehanort disappeared at and everyone waves and gives them good luck on their journey.

Oh no, they're leaving? They just won the battle and helped close Kingdom Hearts again, now they're leaving?! I better do this quick and let him know...or he'll never figure it out.

"Umbra!"

Aqua runs after them and kisses Umbra on the lips before he goes.

"You may not be able to love, but I still have a place in my heart for you Umbra", Aqua spoke softly.

Umbra gives Aqua a black key with the Neutralist symbol on the base of the key. Then Umbra hugs Aqua tightly one last time. The Anti-Chasers then vanish. Ven holds Aqua's hand to relieve her of what happened and everyone takes a look at the Key Umbra gave her. Everyone looks at the key and starts to hear a sound as if someone opened a musical jewelry box.

(Normal POV)

"Well, do you remember?", Ven asked.

Aqua shook her head as she got a reality check, "Huh?"

"Do you remember why he gave you his key?"

"Yes...I do actually. I remember that day..."

"Just saw it in your mind huh?

"Yeah, but it's not the same feeling like I was having that day. It was...as if he-"

"He made you feel broken at the moment didn't he? I tried to make you feel better after that, but...it's been a month now and..."

"Well, continue."

Ven's eyes grew narrow, "What do you think now that we're all together again?"

"To be honest Ven, I don't know what to feel right now. I mean first we were at Twilight Town and then we came here at Terra's expense, but you went crazy and it turns out that Xehanort came to us instead of us finding him."

"Yeah, I guess these past few days have been a little out of whack!"

Aqua looks down, "Yeah, they have been...and they're starting to tear me apart."

"Hey, I bet you enjoyed some of it though."

Aqua started to blush and quickly tried to hide it, "Can we please talk about something else for a change?"

Nex stood in the bathroom doorway, watching the two talk, when suddenly his cell phone received a text from a number that was all zeros.

*Nex,

I have information about your father, Ignis. If you want to know more about him, or yourself for that matter, go towards the beach...NOW!

NoheartX*

"NoheartX huh? Well let's just see how full of crap this guy really is. Maybe, if no one's around, I might be able to kill the gay fucker!", Nex remarked.

Nex turns around to the nightstand to grab his guns when he suddenly looks up to see Umbra leaning against the wall.

"Where are you going so soon?", Umbra stated.

"Nowhere. Just stopping by a place I wanted to check out before we leave the Destiny Islands."

Nex was about to get on his Hoverboard when Umbra grabbed his arm.

"Don't go just yet Nex, let's just stand here and talk for a bit, eh? I mean we never have a chance to talk because we're always either busy planning, training, or trying to kill Xehanort and Vanitas. So I want to take the opportunity here to at least spend some time talking to somebody without starting a fight."

Nex sighed, but sat on the floor and listened to Umbra's questioning.

"So...maybe you could tell me how you turned into that big, huge, scary dragon last night."

"That was just something that me and...uh, well...me and somebody else came up with for awhile, but don't go psycho fanatic on me because I'm pretty sure that was a onetime deal."

"So I guess its back to the way things were huh? Four humans, a lycanthrope, and a vampire. Things just aren t normal for us keybearers."

"I guess so."

"Well, ok...wait a minute! You and who else came up with the dragon idea? Who else Nex, don't hide stuff from me! That just makes me mad!"

"Just relax, Umbra. It's nothing really.", Nex tried to convince to Umbra, noticing that everyone else in the room was watching them.

"Oh, now you want to hide the subject?!"

"Wow Umbra, you really get pissed off easily!"

Avis walks up and grabs Umbra's shoulder, "You have no idea! Umbra, come on...at least do something helpful around here...like help them pack!"

Ven smirks and says, "Curiosity killed the cat!"

Umbra remarks with exposed canines, "Curiosity killed the person who spoke it!"

Ven's eyes widen and he gulps.

"Sorry Nex, just hurry up and get back when you re done. We don't have a lot of time left here.", Umbra said.

Nex shacked his head then sped off on his Hoverboard to the beach.

At the beach, Nex looked around in all directions only to find no one there. Noticing he was alone, he sat on a bench and found an empty beer bottle, that Umbra had drunk last night, underneath it. Nex looked at the bottle and out of boredom, tossed it with all his strength out into the ocean.

"Well now what?!", Nex said to himself.

All of a sudden Nex felt a blunt strike to his head and hit the sand. Trying to clear up the blurry image of the person standing in front of him, he lost consciousness.

(Nex POV)

Great, I'm dead again. It sucks when people try a sneak attack and it works...that's a really rare opportunity! How did I even get in this crap? Something about a message, or was it information?...I can't even remember now! Wait a minute...I hear voices!

"He looks in good condition master, should we proceed?"

"Greatly!"

Who in the hell?! The voices sound familiar, but they sound so fussy...I hope they didn't damage my hearing any because that would really suck!

"Master, how long do you think we have until they go looking for him?

"Shouldn't be too long...hmm...well, actually it might be a long time. They wouldn't go looking for him in the first place! Ha!"

Are they talking about my friends?! Of course they would look for me if I'm gone...wouldn't they? Uh oh...maybe they wouldn't! Ah crap, they may not look or find me at all! Ah what do I care anyways?! All they ever do is just make fun of me, mock me, and other things. They have no idea about all my powers and what they can do! Maybe I should show them!...Then they'd see what a real keyblader can do!

"Wake up little Nex...wake up! No, you re not dead...yet. Just paralyzed...temporarily..."

Nex finally opens his eyes, "Hmm...what happened? Where am I? Who are you?!"

Nex looks down and notices he's strapped to a table along with all of his gear, except his clothing, removed.

"Finally you re awake!"

The blurry image finally takes shape as it walks closer to his face, "Xehanort!"

"How in the world did you not know who we were?"

"Well let me think...maybe it's because I just got the shit knocked out of my head! How the hell would you feel?! Thanks for asking!"

Vanitas increases the power of the table from the desk.

"Ahhhhhhhhh!!!!"

"Now, are you going to be a good little boy and tell me exactly how the heck you were able to transform last night?"

"You too huh, well go ahead and ask all you like Xehanort, because you can torture me until I die, but I'm not telling you shit!"

Xehanort smacks Nex in the face with the blunt side of his keyblade, "I don't have time for your crap Nex. No one's coming for you because they don't give a damn about you to start with."

Nex spits the blood on the floor, "Your right, they're not and they don't give two shits about me. Maybe your just better off killing me, go ahead, gimme your best freaking shot! How about you Vanitas?! How about you turn this thing on full power and fry my ass like a roman candle!"

"Maybe we should actually have something to barter with you Nex. Like say...the lives of your friends. They might not care about you, but I know you care about them! Or how about the life of your pretty little, blue-haired friend you like so much?"

They wouldn't do a damn thing to them. With Umbra and Avis at their side, they're unstoppable. Even with me missing, they have nothing to worry about. Maybe they're just better off without me. I am going to miss "her" though. I always did like her, even if she didn't feel the same way. Although, she practically hated me to death and tried to bring me to tears all the time, so what do I have to really lose in the first place?

"Well, going to talk now?", Xehanort said with enthusiasm.

"Not on your life!"

"Well then, I think it's time we tried a more different approach...", Xehanort said as he picked up a cleaver and chopped off Nex's hand.

"AHHHHHHHHH OH MY FUCKING GOD! YOU SON OF A BITCH!"

"Eh, quit your whining and take it like a man. Besides, you look oh so much better without it."

Xehanort then injects Nex with a needle to stop the bleeding, and then injects another substance into Nex which makes his eyes feel heavy.

"You bastard! I'll fucking kill you! I'll...fu..."

Passed out again?!...ah man! I'm getting tired of feeling so...helpless! Maybe I should contact the guys somehow and get them to retrieve my gear and get me the hell out of here. Ah, my head! It feels so- UGGGGHHHHHH AHHHHHHHHHHHH! The Pain!...All over my body! IT WON'T STOP!

"THE PAIN!"

"That, Nex, is just the new serum we injected into your circulatory system.", Xehanort spoke with an evil grin.

"What IS ThIs sTuFF, XeHAnOrT?!"

"Just a little something that we picked up from your little vampire friend."

"AVIS!"

"Wow, you figured that out all on your own?"

What does this bastard want to know about the dragon transformation? It was only a onetime thing, but I can tell him that because he might just kill me. It would sure put me out of this pain though!

"Maybe you should hear what happened to your father, Nex!"

Nex's eyes narrowed, "You know nothing of my father!"

"Well then maybe you should know this...I KILLED IGNIS!"

(Normal POV)

Nex's reaction to the injection shook his body so much, it rocked the table. In only seconds, his eyes became blood red, his fingers elongated, and his teeth into fangs! Nex had become the very thing Avis was, is, and always will be for the rest of his life.

Nex hissed, "I'll get you! Xehanort!"

"I'd like to see you try-"

Nex broke free of the 9-inch thick steel restraints and wrapped his hands around Xehanort's throat. Vanitas, shocked by the action, casted thunderaga on Nex's new, vampiric body which drove Nex to grab his gear, bust through the ceiling and escape! Unfortunately, Nex found out he was on Xehanort's ship hovered over the Destiny Islands. Nex jumped down and free fell at 500 feet before landing on a soaking wet palm tree.

Nex quickly looked around to notice it was night time and raining, "Oh crap, I need to get back to the others."

Nex tried to walk, only to hit the ground. Again and again he tried, but his legs felt as if they had shut off. He even tried to open the container he held on to, containing all his gear, but couldn't pull open the handle on the box, as his fingers were numb. All Nex could do was crawl to a rock on the beach and hunkered down to avoid the cold chill of the rain.

"Guys...where are you?", Nex quietly spoke before his eyes finally became too exhausted to hold open.

"I found him guys!", was the last thing Nex heard before blacking out.

Nex's eyes finally opened back up.

"Xehanort!", Nex leaned forward and shouted.

"Rest Nex", Umbra said with his hand on his chest.

Avis looked at his body, "Good god man, what happened to you?!"

"Xehanort, I got a text from him, unknowingly, saying he had info about my father. The signature said NoheartX."

Umbra put his hand to his forehead, "Are you stupid? What do you think NoheartX spells?! Xehanort!...Duh!!!"

"Well, how the hell was I supposed to know at the time!"

"What the hell is wrong with you?! Getting a random text and going to some random location-"

"He said he had information about Ignis! And since you guys won't ever tell me about him, I thought I'd find out myself!

Avis and Umbra looked at each other then looked back at Nex.

Avis spoke, "Nex, if you wanted to know anything about Ignis all you needed to do was ask and actually do it seriously without acting all retarded."

Nex leaned forward in the bed, about to knock Avis's lights out, before being stopped by Aqua.

"Nex, after all that you've been through, you shouldn't get up. I think you need to stay in here and rest while we find something to take care of your hand."

"Oh...now you care!", Nex spoke in disgust.

"What?! What are you talking about?", Aqua spoke rather confused, but yet knew what he might have been talking about.

"Yeah you care now, but sure as hell not earlier! You hate me! Why of all times do you pick now to try and help me?!"

"Nex, I care about all of you boys-"

"NO YOU DON'T! YOU CARE NOTHING OF ME, NOBODY DOES!", Nex shouted as he stood on the bed, while his eyes went red and fangs exposed.

Umbra's eyes widened, "Nex, what did he do to you?"

"Avis...look around somewhere on your body for a needle mark."

Avis looked everywhere and found a tiny hole on his neck where a needle had been injected.

Avis felt the mark and spoke, "That bastard must have gotten blood from me while I was off-guard. What a bitch!"

"I feel so thirsty now...so thirsty."

Umbra held him down on the bed, "Fight it Nex, I know it's a bitch to fight off the first time, but you have to!"

"Aqua, where's Terra and Ven?"

"They're downstairs in the lobby talking to the hotel manager. He let us stay here another night when we found your bloody, beaten body outside."

"How long ago was that?"

"About...2 hours ago."

Nex looked at the clock and noticed the time 1:14.

"Aw man, I missed the whole day. What all happened?"

"Nothing, we were all looking everywhere for you!", Umbra said.

"You guys actually looked for me, tried to find me?"

"Of course Nex", Avis spoke, "You re a brother to us, we're not leaving you behind."

Umbra shook his head, grabbed a bottle of Gin, and then headed toward the door, "Welp, do whatever you want, I'm drinkin!"

Avis ran behind him, "Yo Umbra, wait up!"

Nex decided to talk to Aqua personally while the two were alone.

"Aqua, why do you hate me so much?"

Aqua sighed, "I don't hate you Nex, I saved your life when Avis and Umbra had their dispute last night remember?"

"I know that, but WHY-DO-YOU-HATE-ME?"

"Just because I don't like you in that sort of way doesn't mean I necessarily hate you. It just means I don't know you all too well and I don't share the same kinds of feelings as you do."

"I don't care anymore, I just want to know...who gave me up?!"

"Nobody did! Don't you even think like that Nex, you have friends here that help you through any situation you might have."

"Oh really, name me one!"

Aqua rolled her eyes yet tried to remember, but couldn't think of a situation where anyone had tried to help him.

"Oh my god, maybe you do have a reason to doubt us."

"Uh huh, exactly. None of you have helped me through shit! Why start now?!"

Aqua wasn't so used to a friend yelling at her with so much furiousity and it made her shed a tear.

Nex hugged Aqua and she looked at him confused.

"What are you doing?!"

"I'm sorry...I don't usually yell that much. So, nobody helped me at all, big deal! I can get over stuff like that, it's part of being an Anti-Chaser."

"Do you like being an Anti-Chaser, Nex?"

Nex looked down, "I'm honored to be one of Umbra's Anti-Chasers...it's sure as hell better than the life I originally had."

Aqua lifted up Nex's face, "Tell me, I want to know."

Aqua and Nex sat in front of each other and Nex began to tell his side of the story.

"Well, when I was growing up it was rough. I had foster parents and I always wanted to know who my father was...Leon was kind of like a father figure to me, but more like an older brother figure when I turned thirteen. I had a shitty lifestyle, always running from the law, stealing crap, you get the idea."

"Wow, I...didn't know that."

"When I was thirteen, Umbra and Avis found me. They brought me a few boxes of gear, along with my armor and keyblade. From then on, I had to go with them, train with them, and respect them. I decided it best to accept because they told me that the enemy was the same man who killed my father, but I doubted that at first."

"Why did you doubt it?"

"When we fought Xehanort, he seemed to have a bit of honor than murder in his body when I saw him, but I know the truth now!"

"Why, did he tell you while you were captive?"

"Yes...he did...and that's what led me to my escape. I soon as I heard those words, I wanted to strangle the life out of him, which I did until Vanitas got me with magicka."

Aqua hugged Nex and rubbed his back with her hand.

"It must have been hard for you in the past and now. After all you've been through...maybe you have a good reason to decline us all. I'm sorry Nex."

Nex looked in Aqua's shining blue eyes, "Don't be."

Without hesitation, Aqua's and Nex's lips met for the first time and suddenly, a few seconds felt like minutes. Meanwhile, the other boys were downstairs in the lobby with Umbra pacing the floor with a confused, but angry look on his face.

"Grr...what to do, what to do?!", Umbra spoke to himself in a growling tone.

"You re not going crazy again are you Umbra?"

"No Avis, I'm fine and so is "it", but I'm trying to think what's to happen now?"

Avis thought for a second and said, "Well, the new goal...is basically the old goal, find Xehanort and Vanitas and annihilate them!"

"Another thing I'm worried about now is Nex. Now he's one of your own, I wonder how he'll handle himself."

"Nex may be just a little psycho crazy sometimes when he kills, but that's why we call him an adrenaline junky. He may be crazy, but he's not crazy enough to feed on others...Personally, I think the thought would make him sick."

Umbra and Avis stand and chat while Terra continues to thank the manager for helping them with Ven leaning against the wall ignoring everyone.

"Thank you so much for giving us another night here. We really needed to get Nex in better shape than when we brought him in.", Terra said bluntly.

"Well, for the hundredth time, you re welcome! I'm just hoping your friend turns out alright in the end.", the manager said.

"To be honest though, I don't think we've ever done anything this helpful for him before. Ven, have we before?"

Ven leaned up and answered, "No, to be honest, we haven't! I think he's a great fighter...I don't know why we don't show him a little more respect. Who knows what he could really do. Remember when he knocked the crap out of you at Disney Castle?"

"Oh god, that was terrible. Neither you or I could wake up for hours."

Ven pulled Terra closer to him and started to whisper.

"Terra, do you really think we should bring the Anti-Chasers along with us this time? Weren t we doing fine on our own in the first place?"

"To be honest Ven, I think your right from a certain point of view, but you have to think...they are our perfect way of getting to Xehanort. Without them, finding him and Vanitas would be a lot harder. Not only that, but they brought Xehanort to us instead of vice-versa."

"Do you forget things Terra?! They are trying to KILL Xehanort, not capture him!"

"Then, just like before, we have to act in order to get our prize."

Umbra and Avis turned towards each other.

"You think them traitors?", Umbra spoke angrily.

"Possibly, let's find out."

Avis and Umbra walked across the lobby to Terra and Ven.

"What's up guys?", Terra spoke out.

"Don't play stupid Terra!", Umbra shouted.

"What are you talking about?!"

"We're supernatural, we can hear you from miles away."

"Oh...that. It was nothing, we were just speaking our minds-"

"Speaking your minds?! You re acting as if this is a race, as if to see who can get Xehanort first."

"Xehanort is all of our problems, whoever gets him is the one who gets him. Besides that, we usually never get him because something always gets in the way.", Avis said.

"So Avis...", Ven asked, "What's going to happen with Nex now that he's a vampire too?"

"He's part of my bloodline now, I guess I'll have to show him the ways and have him deal with the situation."

"What about feeding?!"

"Right now I don't think he'll even want to feed for a few days or weeks due to the thought of drinking the blood of others."

"Well that's a relief-"

Ven gets cut off as Nex and Aqua exit the elevator into the lobby.

"Well, ready to go?", Nex said excitingly.

Umbra looked at him confused and angry and shouted, "Ready to go?! Go where?! Where in the hell are we gonna go?!"

"I think it's time I finally showed you guys MY place."

"Your place?", Avis questioned.

"Yes, I have a secret lab in Radiant Garden.", Nex spoke as everyone walked to the gummi ship, "It's the only place I know of right now where we can go and stay."

"Who's running your place?", Terra asked.

"Oh, Vulpine is!"

"Vulpine? Who the heck is Vulpine?!", Ven asked confused.

"You'll see when we get there Ven, just be patient."

The gummi ship landed on a hidden platform on Radiant Garden that led to Nex's secret laboratory. Nex opened the door and everyone went inside while a child walked up to Nex.

"Dad, who might these people be?"

"Son, these are you two Uncle's and a few of our friends."

The child walked up to Avis and Umbra.

"Uncle Umbra! Uncle Avis!", the boy shouted as he gave both of them a hug.

Umbra stared at the child confused until a smug grin grabbed his face, "Wait a minute...This is Vulpine isn't it?"

"Uh-huh", was the answer Nex gave.

"Since when in the hell did you have a son?!", Avis demanded.

"He's a clone! I cloned him two years ago, but the growth acceleration stops when his body reaches age ten."

Vulpine walked over to the Chasers, kindly giving the boys a bow and kneeling at Aqua's feet and kissing her hand.

Aqua smiled and laughed, "You re so cute Vulpine!"

Terra winces confused, "I get everyone's name, but why name him Vulpine?"

Vulpine shouted behind Terra making him jump, "BECAUSE I CAN DO THIS!"

"Oh my god!", Terra grabbed his chest while everyone laughed.

"To tell you the truth, Terra, my name means "fox" in Latin.", Vulpine explained.

"Smart kid", Ven said.

Vulpine glares at Ven, "Looks who's talkin!"

Everyone else starts laughing before the scanner, on the computer behind them, started beeping and flashing.

"What is that Nex?", Aqua shouted.

"Scanners picked up a concentration of high, powerful energy coming from Disney Castle...it's him!"

Avis and Umbra quickly summon their keyblades.

"I think we're ready to go already!", Avis proclaimed.

"Hey Vulpine", Umbra asked, "You wanna go see your dad and uncle's kick ass?!"

"Hell yeah!", Vulpine shouted with excitement.

The Chasers jaws dropped at the remark Vulpine made before he opened the door, only to find another parked gummi ship with Organization XIII, King Mickey, Donald, and Goofy.

Umbra walked up, "Who invited the welcome wagon?"

Xion put her hands on her hips, "You guys come back and you don't even tell us? Is this the surprise you were talking about Aqua?"

"Yes, it is!", Aqua said as she walked up with a smirk.

Umbra smirks back, "You invited them over didn't you?"

"Yup, just called Xion and told her to get the others. As for Mickey and the gang, I guess Xion got them before Xehanort got to the castle...oh, I also told her about a "surprise" which was you three."

"Well it's not that much of a surprise knowing full well what I did to the castle."

Xion butts in, "So Umbra, had any more problems with your "other side" any?"

"Oh hell yeah, I already had an incident while at Destiny Islands where I almost killed Nex and accidentally scratched Aqua while I slept in her bed...I had another bad dream! For the record too, we refer to my lycan side as "it"."

Xion and the others grin and laugh.

"Why were you sleeping in her bed?", Xion asked chuckling.

Umbra's eyes grow narrow and voice growling, "Why wouldn't you when your friend cries and you nearly killed all of them?"

"Oh...looks like "it" has a bit more problems than last time."

"Yeah, it does", Nex explained, "Which gives us a little of an advantage."

Nex shows everybody to a round, holographic imaging planning table and tells everyone to sit down while a hologram of Disney Castle appears.

"Alright guys, last time we did great, but this time Xehanort and Vanitas are doing something to crush us all. I bet you, with great guess, he's about to destroy Disney Castle!"

Mickey jumps out of his seat, "How could he?! I know the way he is now, but he isn't that insane!"

"Well it's a good thing we got you guys out of there.", Xion exclaimed, "You guys might be fighting and losing without your friends by your side."

"How did you and the Organization know to get us out of there?", Mickey asked.

"It was just a feeling we had, but we really didn't know...what a coincidence!"

Umbra looked around confused about that situation and suddenly his head starting hurting, causing him to stumble a bit.

"Umbra, are you alright?", Terra asked.

Umbra opened his eyes and took his hands off his head, "Yeah, just a...headache I guess."

"That was weird.", Ven said.

When everyone got the plan into their heads, they grabbed supplies from Nex's huge storage compartments and hopped on the gummi ships. While in mid-space, Umbra stumbled, in the back of the gummi ship, even more.

"Umbra, what's wrong?", Aqua asked.

Umbra looked at the front of the ship to make sure the others weren't paying attention to the conversation.

"Just another headache...ahh!"

"Do you need something to help it?"

"I don't think this is any normal headache. Remember back at the planning room when Xion told Mickey about the little feeling they had?"

"Yeah, what about it?"

"I kept thinking about that and...it...actually feels like...I was...the one who told them to get him. Like I knew he was coming to the castle to start with."

"Umbra, that's crazy. In all the time that I've known you, you have never been able to read minds or command other people to do something."

"Aqua...I think something really bad is going to happen to me...soon."

"What are you saying-"

"It might not be here or it might be, but I can just feel that something is...just...going to happen."

Aqua looks in Umbra's eyes and tries to explain to him, "You are not going to have anything happen to you Umbra, we all know that. The only thing that probably will happen is "it" getting his claws all over Xehanort and Vanitas."

"If something bad does happen to me...Aqua...", Umbra said as he grabbed her arm and looked deep into her eyes, "Don't wait up for me!"

Aqua's lips come close to Umbra's, but he shoves her off.

"No, not again! It would be too heartbreaking later."

"Well, nothing could still not happen.", Aqua said as she grabbed Umbra by the back of the head and gave him the kiss he refused.

Aqua looked at him, "You refused my kiss again like last time. Why do you keep doing that?"

"I-"

"Guys, we're here!", Nex shouted as he landed the ship.

Umbra turns back to Aqua, "You ready to go?!"

"Of course."

Both the Chasers and Anti-Chasers jumped out of the ship, while Organization XIII, Mickey, Donald, and Goofy hopped out of the other. As everyone walked up to the front door, Xehanort stood there silent, Vanitas beside him, and turned to face the large group.

"Well, finally you all showed up. I was beginning to think you never would."

"Alright Xehanort", Nex shouted, "What do you plan on doing to Disney Castle?!"

Xehanort grinned, "Well, you know what I'm doing to it, but how is a different story."

Xehanort lifted his hand to show a white remote with a flashing red button.

"Energy charges! I knew you or somebody would pick up all of that energy signature...one charge unleashes enough of an energy pulse to destroy a large gummi ship, so you do the math...I've place four around the building for your information. I push this button, and your entire castle gets destroyed...from the inside-out!"

"You re a crazy bastard you know that?!", Umbra shouted.

Umbra whispered to Nex beside him, "Nex, think you can take care of those charges?"

"No problem!"

Xehanort continued, not noticing Umbra and Nex's conversation, "So, what were you Keybearers planning to do here-"

"I got an idea, I'll throw "Death's Razor" at him. I might fight him with that to give him an edge.", Nex whispered.

"What the hell?"

"See the Katana on my back?"

Umbra looks at Nex's back to see an average sized, modern day style, straight Katana with a black handle and sheath with red diamonds going down.

"Wow, looks impressive."

"Made it myself, got it enchanted by Death himself, thus the name "Death's Razor"."

"Ready for him?"

"Yeah!"

Xehanort continued to monologue, "How in the world do you expect to save your castle when it's only a button push away from destruction-"

Xehanort gets cut off as Nex's katana cuts Xehanort's hand, making him drop the remote, and the blade gets stuck in the wall behind him. Everyone started to scramble for the remote, but Xehanort picked it back up and placed it back in his pocked while the Chasers and Anti-Chasers started to attack him. Vanitas jumped in mid-air and kept Organization XIII, Mickey, Donald, and Goofy busy with all of his power.

Nex pulled his katana out of the wall and clanged it against Xehanort's keyblade, "You really think you can destroy this place and live?!"

"I plan on it, along with killing you just like I did your father!"

Just as Xehanort spoke, Vulpine jumped in the air and kicked him in the forehead and the nuts. Xehanort holds his balls with one hand and continues to fight off the others with the other hand, all while whining in pain.

Terra jumped and slammed his keyblade into the ground, creating a small earthquake that causes everyone to stumble around. Ven used fast, slash and dash attacks that Xehanort had trouble blocking. Aqua used many waves of magic attacks as possible to stop him from any possible attack.

"You know what Xehanort", Nex said, "I'm gonna let my son fight you!"

Vulpine walked forward, put his fists up, and did a kung-fu stance.

"You really expect a ten year old kid to-"

Xehanort got flying kicked by Vulpine before he could finish. Every move Xehanort did was completely useless for him as Vulpine dodged every attack and continued with his ass kicking.

"Oh my god, that boy can fight!", Terra said.

"Yeah, he was trained with Tai Kwon Doe while he was being cloned and earned a 9th degree black belt title...he can kick my ass any day of the week."

Vulpine let Xehanort out of a headlock, grabbed the remote out of his pocket, and handed it to his father. Vanitas, on the other hand, jumped and disappeared from view.

"Well Nex", Xion asked hurryingly, "Can you defuse it?"

"I think so-"

The remote crumbles apart in Nex's hand.

"Silly boy!", Xehanort said as he got up from the dirt.

"Xehanort! Where's the real trigger?!", Nex shouted with furiousity.

"Trigger? There never was any trigger...because there is no energy charge. I lured you all out here so you may watch one thing...to see one of my most hatred enemy's fate!"

Vanitas kicked Umbra's black chest off the roof and Vanitas jumped to the ground beside his master. Aqua gasped while she checked her pocket for the key.

"Excuse me miss Aqua", Xehanort said as he held up the key, "Looking for this?!"

"NO!", Umbra shouted as he ran toward the chest while Xehanort opened it and blasted it with firaga, destroying both the heart and the chest.

Umbra immediately stopped running and gasped. Everyone couldn't believe what had happened right in front of their eyes. Xehanort walks and stabs Umbra through the chest and blood goes dispersing everywhere.

"You always were a pain in the ass! You always were, in the end, useless.", Xehanort spoke.

The final words Umbra could get from his blood-filled mouth were, "...Rose...Aqua..."

Xehanort threw Umbra's body off his keyblade and everyone watched it slide across the ground, lifeless. Umbra's body started to shine into bright light and evaporated into the air. Everyone ran back to the gummi ships and took off back to Nex's lab. Xehanort, however, merely stood and grinned to savor the moment before leaving with Vanitas.

While inside the ship, Nex kept banging and slamming everything in sight blaming everything upon himself.

"Damn it! I was right there, right there! I had him...and I didn't grab him! I failed! I fucking failed! I failed Umbra!", Nex shouted as he knelt down by the wall and started to cry.

Avis knelt beside him, "You know what Umbra would've wanted us to do Nex!"

Nex lifts his tear stained face up.

"He would've wanted us to go on and keep catching up to him. To keep going after Xehanort and Vanitas until they die for all eternity! And you know what Nex, I think he just made it harder for himself because we sure as hell are going to kill him now, slowly and painfully!"

Nex shook his head, got up, and fist bumped with Avis like all three used to and gave each other a hug.

Terra watched the, now two, Anti-Chasers and walked over to Ven who was sitting at a table with Aqua, trying to comfort her while she was crying.

"Nex shouldn't blame himself...it was my fault. I should have been on guard. I shouldn't have let him take the key."

"Shhhhh Aqua, don't place blame on anyone. If you want someone to blame, blame Xehanort!", Ven softly spoke.

"I don't even want to live anymore...knowing it was my fault a good friend is dead. I just want to go up there with him."

Ven sighed, "Umbra was...a good friend, in all the time we knew him. He helped us through a lot and brought his friends to help us even more. He hasn't done a thing that wasn't good for us. I know we had our times, but-"

Ven placed his head on his forehead and shed tears.

Terra placed his hand on Ven's shoulder, "Your right Ven, we all know your right. Even when I made the mistake of proposal, he at least was able to help all of us during that day, when we all couldn't even stand to see each other."

Vulpine sat crying in the back of the ship. Aqua waved for Vulpine to come to her and he slowly walked over. She picked Vulpine up and sat him in her lap.

"Uncle Umbra's...dead-"

"I know sweety, I know. We'll just have to find a way to continue on without him."

Aqua held Vulpine tightly and kissed him on the head.

"Why are we...going on without him?"

"It's what he would've wanted. This will be very hard trying to get past this, but hopefully...we can continue Umbra's work."

The ships landed on the platform and everyone entered and sat down, shedding tears and not saying a word.

"We now know what Xehanort is accomplishable of guys", Mickey said, breaking the silence, "Now we just a way to stop him for good."

"What do you suppose Mickey?", Donald asked.

"I think I finally see what Umbra saw when I first met him."

"Any plans?", Goofy asked.

"What more can we do Mickey?", Terra explained, "We just lost one of our best fighters, best weapons, and best friends. I think everyone's doing hard enough as it is just talking about him. Right now I just want to stop on planning for awhile and think to myself."

Terra sat on the couch and turned on the TV, Ven came later and joined him.

Vulpine lay asleep in Aqua's arms in a chair.

"Maybe we should put him to bed.", Nex whispered to Aqua.

"He's fine, I think he's more comfortable here than anywhere else right now."

"It wasn't any of our faults."

"I don't think it was now, it was all planned out. We should've known!"

"Nobody would've known, Aqua. I just want to kill Xehanort so bad now and rip his damn liver out while he's barely able to breathe!"

"Shhh, you'll wake your son up."

"Sorry...what are you his mother or something?", Nex whispered with a chuckle.

"No, but I'm the closest thing he has to one, I guess." 


	7. Chapter 7: Old Memories Fade Slowly

Chapter 7:

Old memories fade and come back slowly

(Avis POV)

_Whose fault is it, really, for Umbra's death? Was it ours? Did we not do our duty to the maximum? Well, whatever the reason, he's dead now! I always knew something like this would happen, he always did have a weakness. Love…love was his weakness. I guess he wanted it so bad, but couldn't have it that it killed him._

"Avis, could you let me in?", Aqua asked, knocking behind the door.

"Sure, I guess."

_Oh crap, she's going to see everything I did! Oh well, I can do whatever I want._

Avis opens the door for Aqua, who gasps at what she sees.

"Avis, what have you done to yourself?"

"I couldn't help it Aqua, the pain got to me…so much."

Aqua placed her hand on Avis's shoulder, "Aw Avis, I've felt the pain too, but I didn't go and dye my hair black."

Avis moved his fingers across his newly blacked long hair.

"Avis, you smell terrible!", Aqua said, pinching her nose.

"How long have I been in here?"

"Two weeks!"

"Well…that explains a lot."

"Go to the bathroom and get yourself a shower now!"

After a half hour, Avis returned smelling normal and wearing his casual clothing.

"Feel better?", asked Aqua.

"Much, thanks Aqua."

"No problem."

Avis sat on his bed, thinking to himself.

"Is Umbra's death bothering you that bad Avis?"

"Isn't it bothering you?"

Aqua turned her head, "I've been lost without him. I shed my tears and told myself how sorry I was, but…there's nothing I can do to bring him back."

"Well, it's not just that he died that bothers me…it's the way he died. He let love kill him, it was his poison. He didn't need to die in a way like that though, that was sickening!"

Avis heard Aqua starting to cry, got up, and hugged her.

"We'll do what he would've wanted us to do…hopefully we can get things strait again."

Nex and Vulpine came walking down the hallway to the door.

_Oh great, now I have to put up with these two…what's next?_

Vulpine walked up and hugged Aqua by the waist.

"I miss uncle Umbra too mom", said Vulpine.

"I know honey, I know", Aqua replied calmly.

Avis spoke confused, "What the hell is with him calling you mom?"

"Well, I'm the only girl in this group so I might as well be like a mother figure to him, since he never had one."

"Well yeah, but…it's just weird!", replied Avis.

Aqua turned her attention toward Nex, noticing he was quiet.

"I like your mechanical death claw Nex", Aqua said abruptly.

"Yeah, it was the only thing son and I made together that I thought would come in handy one day, guess I was right."

"Notice the two words that you used…Handy and Right?"

"That's not funny…it really hurt when he did that!"

Just as the Aqua finished giggling to the short humor, Nex's computer screen started flashing, beeping, and going out of control, forcing everyone to run into the room with curiosity.

"What is it Nex?", Xion asked.

Nex's eyes widened as he spoke, "It's him guys, we've found him. It's Xehanort!"

Terra stepped forward, fists at the ready.

"Time for some pay back!"

"I wonder how he'd do with all of us on him?", Ven provokingly spoke.

Axel walked up from his group of nobodies, "If he can do that to Umbra, whom was near undefeatable, how can we stop him?"

"Have faith Axel, and keep your blades up!", Xion replied.

Nex turned and placed his hand on Xion's shoulder.

"Why are you all still here anyways?"

"What do you mean?", Xion spoke confused.

"It's great that you all helped out and all that, but don't you have more important things to do than go after Xehanort with us?"

"Nex, he just killed a friend…I don't think we're going anywhere until we have his blood on our black hoods!"

Nex shook his head, "Good…good!"

As everyone geared up, the Chasers noticed the Anti-Chasers getting dressed the fastest, and the most dangerous. Avis strapped on his feathery armor and spread his wings across the room. Nex dawned his black armor and hood. He loaded every gun he could carry and holstered them.

Everyone ran into the gummi ships and landed right where the computer marked the location, the gorge in Radiant Garden. Everyone came out expecting an unfriendly welcome, with the Anti-Chasers leading the front, keyblades drawn.

"See anything Avis?", Nex said.

"Nothing, but the rocks and the lack of life around here."

Nex spots a figure of a man, "Wait! Who…Xehanort!"

The man stands, looking at the castle at the end of the gorge, with his head down.

Nex steps forward powerfully, with the others behind him.

"Xehanort! We all know it's you, just turn around and fight!"

Vanitas, leaning on the rocks on the side of the gorge, spoke, "Master hasn't been feeling well lately, but he has been hoping you would eventually find him."

Xehanort turned around and faced the adrenaline pumped Anti-Chaser and his allies.

Nex squinted his eyes, "A tear?"

Xehanort, with a tear going down is right eye, hesitantly spoke, "Finally, we meet again, this must be some kind of routine or something. I think I know the pain that you all feel now. Ever since I…took Umbra's life, it's like I took on his pain. I never knew how much pain he felt…"

"Save your breath!", Nex shouted as he raised his keyblade to strike.

Xehanort held his hand up in fear to avoid being hit, but for his sake, Aqua grabbed Nex's keyblade.

"What're you doing!", Nex continued to scream out.

Ignoring Nex, Aqua turned her attention back to Xehanort and asked, "You feel his pain…"

Xehanort dropped to his knees and began to barely speak, "Everyday my dear…it hurts so much. I never felt this way before in my life! All those lives I've taken…to hurt you all. I wish I could take it back so much, but I can't and now…I have nothing. So, if you could do me the greatest honor, that your master, Eraqus, would have possibly granted…"

Aqua knelt down and placed her hand on his shoulder, tears down her face as well.

"What do you ask for?", Aqua softly spoke.

"Would you please…kill me?"

Aqua became puzzled at the request.

"You really want to die now? You know I could just let the Anti-Chasers finish their work right now!"

"I know my dear", Xehanort said, crying, holding Aqua's hands, "but I can't take living with myself any longer. After everything that I've done, you know that I wouldn't want to live. If you want me to die, hopefully, than you'll be doing me a favor!"

"What're you waiting for Nex? Kill him!", Avis shouted along with everyone else behind him.

"No!", Nex shouted, raising his hand, "Aqua loved Umbra the most out of all of us…let her kill him!"

Everyone shook their heads in agreement and Aqua turned back to Xehanort, deciding his fate.

(Aqua POV)

_Oh god, what should I do? I should get him back for what he did to Umbra and all the others he's killed, but he wants to go so willingly. Maybe we could bring him back alive like we were supposed to! Then…the others would think…ugh, I can't do this! This is just too much! I…can't decide! Please let me think of something!_

"I'm not going to kill you Xehanort!"

"What?", Xehanort spoke from the ground.

"Are you insane Aqua? Kill him and let's be done with this forever!", Nex angrily shouted.

Aqua with tears down her face, grabbed Nex behind his neck and dragged him over to kneeling Xehanort.

"Look at that Nex! Look into that face, those eyes, that pain. He doesn't care anymore about living or dying! If killing is the only thing you Anti-Chasers are good at then that's your curse! I at least have some decency still left, even though he may have taken Umbra away from us, but he's ready and willing to pay dearly for it!"

Aqua walked back to the large group and over to Terra, where she lay herself in his arms.

"Take me out of here Terra, I want to be alone for a while."

Xehanort crawled to Aqua begging, "Please, don't leave me to live! Please! Kill me please!"

Aqua hesitantly spoke, "I…can't!"

"You won't have to!", said a voice from across the gorge.

Everyone turned their heads in the direction of the voice, wondering who might have said it. Soon they began to hear heavy footsteps. Out of the dust, approached a young man with a green bandana over his face and a knife on his hip.

The man looked around and smelled the air, "Ah, it feels so GOOD to be ALIVE again!"

The man wore a black tank top and denim shorts, steel toe boots at his feet, and a shaved head.

_Why does another have to come? Why do we have to deal with all of these random strangers appearing before us and meddling in our business? All of this is just getting to me! I can't take this anymore, who is he?_

Vanitas, curious and ready for a fight shouted, "Who the fuck are you?"

"Dust the corpse have a familiar face?", was all that the stranger replied, whilst his eyes turned yellow.

Vanitas only screamed and ran from the mysterious young man, with fear getting the best of him. The group merely watched Vanitas run towards them, whilst thinking of the last remark the man gave to him.

"Vanitas, get over to us!", Terra shouted.

Vanitas, still running and screaming, tried to get away from the man. He only managed to get a few feet before being stopped by him, merely appearing in front of Vanitas out of nowhere.

The stranger shouted, "All of your nightmares come into one!", as he continued to appear and disappear from the rocks before the groups' very eyes.

Vanitas cowered in the center of the group, hoping for safety, before the stranger quickly appeared behind him smiling and knocked him to the rocks. The stranger than front flipped over the group and landed in front of Xehanort.

Xehanort looked up and whispered, in a scared tone, "You!"

The stranger whispered back, "Me!", as he growled and jumped onto Xehanort.

"Umbra?", Terra spoke from behind, shocked.

The stranger lifted his head up in response to Terra's voice only to see Vanitas stab him in the chest and pull the keyblade out, no blood on the blade.

Ven shouted, "There's no blood! That can't be possible, Umbra's dead! Who are you!"

The stranger glanced at Ven and responded, "One crow: Sorrow, Two crows: Joy!", as he took Vanitas' keyblade and stabbed him in the leg with it.

"Three crows: A letter!", continued the stranger as he took the keyblade and threw it into Xehanort's leg.

The stranger appeared from behind Xehanort, unexpected, and grabbed him by the shirt as he tried to crawl away.

"Four crows: A boy!"

The stranger summoned up Umbra's Keyblade and started slicing Xehanort in the chest.

"Five crows: Silver, Six crows: Gold, Seven crows: A secret to never be told!"

"Stop, please stop Umbra!", Xehanort pleaded.

Everyone from behind had their jaws drop, eyes widen, and breath freeze.

"Umbra!", shouted Aqua.

Umbra immediately stopped and turned to face the group. Slowly, he removed his bandana and let his eyes fade back to grey, then they colored into a rich oceanic blue.

Aqua walked forward, "Is it really you?"

She put her hands on his face to make sure that he was real.

"How? How are you…I thought you were-"

"I was Aqua, I was!", Umbra replied bluntly, grabbing Aqua's hand.

Aqua began to cry, "How are you here?"

"To be honest guys, I have no idea. I'm here now though", Umbra said as he placed his hand upon Aqua's face, "and that's all that matters."

Aqua gave Umbra a hug so great that it seemed to last a lifetime. Her tears could not cease for what she had felt.

Umbra turned to Xehanort and kneeled in front of him, "You know Xehanort, I have learned something since death."

Xehanort looked up with tears in his eyes and asked frightened, "What is that?"

"You've finally given me something that I've wanted for eons and now I've come back to return the favor. It's just the thought that YOU made me what I am now", Umbra calmly spoke.

"Please let them kill me Umbra, I've just felt so much of your pain that you have lived through. I can't take life anymore!", Xehanort begged.

"I'm actually going to let you live!", said Umbra.

Both shocked, Nex and Avis shouted, "What?"

"You heard me brothers, I have my reasons and all will be explained once when we get to a better place than this fucking gorge!"

"Wow, even after death you still sound the same!", Avis remarked.

"Much may have changed, you never know. Especially with everything I've seen now, and everything I'm still seeing!"

"What do you mean by that?", Avis asked.

All Umbra could say was, "You'll know…"

Xehanort, wounded in the dirt, asked, "You going to leave me here then?"

Umbra turned and simply said, "Bring him, both of them!"

Nex and Avis grabbed hold of Xehanort and Vanitas and laid them to rest upon the ship whilst they flew to Nex's hideout.

In route to the gang's little nest, Umbra was getting questioned left and right by all his companions.

"Did death hurt as bad as you thought it would?", Ven asked.

"Why did your body turn to light when you died?", Xion asked.

"Do you really not remember anything while you were gone?" , asked Mickey.

Umbra hesitantly pushed their questions aside, "Guys, I just came back from the dead. I'm still trying to figure this out just as much as you are. Let me get some space here away from all that clutter."

"That would probably be best", Donald said.

Sitting alone at a table on the ship, Aqua stared at Umbra for the longest, hoping that he wouldn't notice.

_I can't believe he's here, he's ACTUALLY here again, with us. I don't know what to say, what to think, or what to feel. I just feel like my heart was turned to ice and melted into a giant puddle. I love him so much, but nobody ever expected anything like this to happen! How could I have dragged myself so low now?_

Upon landing, Umbra went into his room and changed back into his regular casuals and sat down on the bed after putting on his black over shirt.

"Hey…"

"Hey Aqua", Umbra said greatly.

"Can I come in?"

"Of course dear, I knew you would."

Aqua walked over and sat next by Umbra on the bed. Immediately she forced herself into his arms.

"I've missed you so much Umbra!"

"I know, I could only imagine what it was like without me here for you", Umbra said as he brushed Aqua's cheek, "I've missed you too!"

"It was terrible, miserable, and heartbreaking. I was crying for almost a week, I didn't know when it would stop!"

"I'm sorry dear, I should've been more alert that day."

"It doesn't matter anymore on who should have done what on that day, but the aftermath was devastating. I wouldn't eat, sleep, or speak."

"Please dear, let's change the subject. How were the boys here with me gone?"

_Oh no! I can't tell him everything that happened here, he'd get pissed! How to tell him…I can't tell him. Oh if only Terra hadn't of done that with me in the bathroom…oh god, I'm so scared now. I didn't know he would come back…what was I going to do?_

(1 week earlier)

Aqua sat her hands over her head as she cried sitting on top of the toilet seat.

"He's gone…of all things…he's gone!"

She checked to make sure the bathroom door was locked, and continued to cry.

"Why was I off guard? Why? It's my entire fault…"

"It's not your fault, Aqua.", Terra spoke, coming through the locked door with a clothes hanger.

"How is it not my fault Terra? How?"

"Aqua, it wasn't your fault because-"

"It was my responsibility to protect that key! I lost it and now one of the boys I love is dead for it!", Aqua said angrily with tears down her face.

Terra knelt down in front of Aqua and lifted her face up when she lowered it.

"Aqua, it wasn't your fault because Xehanort did something that none of us, not even Umbra, expected. He planned the entire trap and we fell for it. All in all, we all only have ourselves to blame, so don't beat it up only on yourself", Terra explained.

Aqua gave her response by leaning forward and forcing Terra with kisses. She stood up and the two moved to the wall. Soon Terra and Aqua both lost track of time and minutes became hours.

Terra and Aqua, on the floor, held each other close and never wanted to let go.

"Terra, do you think that Umbra would accept us being together like this?"

"Aqua dear, we only lost our control for a few hours and made out. It's not like we really did anything crazy. Knowing him, as we all should, he would probably say something like "Hell, everybody's got to crave the urge sometime!" Oh man."

Aqua giggled, "That sounds like Umbra alright!"

(End Flashback)

"They were just fine…", Aqua said faintly, as she shook her head back to reality.

Umbra glared at her, "Aqua, I'm sorry, but please don't hide anything from me. I'm trying to catch up with everything that went on here when I died. I don't want to smell it on you to find out, I respect everyone's privacy."

"I don't know if I should tell you Umbra."

"Is it that bad?", Umbra said curiously.

"Well…a little, but I had no choice!", Aqua spoke hesitantly.

"Well, continue."

"Terra and I…may have…we kind of…made out in the bathroom."

Umbra smelled the air and spoke, "You're not lying! If it's all you did then I'm fine with that. Had something else have happened I probably would've done something terrible."

Aqua glared at Umbra, "You…actually care!"

"My dear, I'm not the same person you once knew. I don't know what it is, but I can feel things. Things I haven't felt in a lifetime."

"Sometimes I think about it, you know."

"About what, Aqua?", Umbra asked while he placed his arm around her shoulder.

"About having a child of my own. All the responsibilities, love and care that go into it."

Umbra turned toward her on the bed and held her hands in his own, "Aqua, you know why we can't ever do that. You having a child could bring about a war between us all. Imagine if you and Terra had a child, don't you think Ven would go insane? What if, just as an example, you and I had a child? Do you think it would be safe from the other boys, the heartless or nobodies?"

"Umbra, you don't know of what all we've accomplished while you've been gone. We've become less attached towards one person. We've learned to care of many things, not just one. They're becoming like me, Umbra."

Umbra held his head in his hand, "Why do you want a child dear?"

"I've always wanted one dear, I just didn't know the time or person. I'm hoping that the person would be a strong, loving, caring father and would always be there for me and the child."

Umbra looked into Aqua's eyes, "Well, if it's what you want then I have no say in it. Whatever you want is whatever you want dear."

"Umbra…"

"Aqua?"

"I'm so glad you're here!", Aqua spoke as she hugged him.

Umbra only replied by holding her while she continued to hug him.

"You're so warm!"

"It's a werewolf thing…"

"No, it's an Umbra thing.", Aqua replied softly.

Umbra released himself from Aqua's arms and got her attention.

"Oh and I think I owe you this", Umbra said as he placed his hand behind Aqua's head and kissed her, slowly and softly.

Aqua lifted her head away and grinned with compassion, "I thought you couldn't ever feel love?"

"I just felt love for the first time again and Aqua dear…It's the best feeling I can ever have."

Aqua forced Umbra down on the bed and laid atop him. She lowered her shirt and threw it across the floor. She pulled on Umbra's shirt, wanting him to take it off. Umbra, knowing he had no choice, quickly removed both his shirts and threw them across the floor.

"Aqua", Umbra spoke hesitantly, "Nothing crazy now!"

"It won't be like that babe, but I want to be with you alone and intimate."

"Dear, please don't take the top off."

"I told you babe, it WON'T BE LIKE THAT. I just want to be alone with you and feeling this much compassion and love right now more than anything."

Umbra rolled her over and rolled his fingers across Aqua's stomach, tickling her with chills.

"I love you Umbra, so much!"

"I love you too dear", Umbra replied.

Aqua kissed Umbra and commented, "I've been waiting so long for you to say that babe."

Umbra gave a quick laugh, "I bet you have."

"Umbra?"

"Yes Aqua?"

"Can you call me baby?"

"Whatever you say, baby."

"You're MY boyfriend after all."

Umbra whispered, "But babe, what about Terra, Ven, Avis, and Nex?"

"Baby, I'll always share feeling towards them, but not as strong as mine are towards you. I'll always be with you, I thought I made it clear on our adventures last time. Remember when I talked to you by the fireplace in our room at Disney Castle?"

"Yes baby, I remember", Umbra replied.

"I would do anything for you baby, I would forgive anything, and love everything that you are."

Umbra smiled and held Aqua in his strong arms, letting time pass by without thought.

A knock on the door was heard, "Hey Umbra, ready yet?"

Umbra looked at the clock and noticed only an hour had passed.

"Yeah, just give me ten minutes", Umbra replied.

Umbra and Aqua got up from the bed, put on their clothes and returned to the living room.

(Umbra POV)

Mickey ran up and shook Umbra's hand, "It's so great that your back, the powers of the keyblade are amazing!"

"Yes Mickey, but I don't think it was the keyblade that saved my life this time…"

"What was it like dying?", Ven asked.

"Was it scary? Was it peaceful?", asked Terra quickly.

"Did you see heaven?", Axel asked, walking closer.

"Alright guys, one person at a time. Like I said, I just came back from the grave so even I'm still getting use to this!"

All of a sudden Umbra collapses on the ground.

"Umbra! Umbra! Are you alright?", Aqua shouted.

Umbra began shaking making Aqua panic.

"What's happening to him?", Aqua asked.

A vision of a young woman appeared with long white hair and a white robe.

"_Could you sacrifice me to complete your mission? Can you watch me die? Kingdom Reptilia awaits…"_

_Who the hell is this? Why do these visions keep happening so frequently? What do they all mean?_

A face representing a horned deer skull appears and a growl is heard.

_No, it can't be! Hircine!_

Umbra awoke screaming with his canines exposed, "Hircine!"

The group surrounded him, all confused.

Aqua knelt down beside him and hugged him, "Who?"

Umbra let himself into Aqua's arms and cried.

"I haven't cried in over two-thousand years, and ever since death…I can feel everything now!"

Aqua rubbed his head and kissed him on the forehead.

"All of these visions are just so sudden…I wish I knew what they were, what they meant.", Umbra spoke sadly.

Everyone was shocked that it was the first time they had ever seen Umbra, himself, cry, especially in someone's arms upon the floor.

"What is it you keep seeing Umbra?", Aqua asked comfortingly.

"Visions of pain…and my old master, Hircine! There's also something about a…Kingdom Reptilia."

"What's that?"

"I have no idea…"

Umbra closed his eyes and thought of nothing other than Aqua's soft, gentle heartbeat.

"I'm so glad you're here with me mother…", spoke Umbra in a soft tone.

Aqua glared back at Umbra, "What did you call me?"

Umbra got up and walked to the corner where Xehanort was sitting.

"Yeah, "it" starting calling you mother when we were gone…apparently it caught on to us."

"Why would "it" call me that?"

"Well we're all like a family anyways. You're like the mother, Terra's like a father, Ven and my boys are like brothers."

"Ok Umbra, I think you went a little whack there."

"I'm sorry mother…"

Aqua rolled her eyes and gave Umbra another hug.

"Umbra, can you remember anything from your visions that you can see clearly?", Xion asked.

"They're just images…pictures…scenes sort of…"

Umbra closed his eyes and quickly opened them.

"I've got an idea", Umbra explained, "We'll need to make a connection with everyone for all of us to see what I see."

"Do you think you might be able to find out why you call me mother?", Aqua asked.

"Perhaps, but my guess, in my personal opinion, is maybe "it" is confusing you for another person, from another time, from another memory."

Everyone gathered around the room in a circle and joined hands while Vulpine dimmed the lights, lit candles, and joined them.

"Alright everyone, we're about to explore my inner conscience so I'll tell you now…my world is a very twisted place full of mystery and delusion, you may not like what you see."

"It's alright Umbra, we're with you all the way.", Aqua spoke.

Everyone shook their head in agreement.

"Alright, here it goes…let's start out from when I died."

Everyone closed their eyes and began to see the very situation that they lived exactly two weeks previous.

*The entire group was standing in front of themselves at Disney Castle, watching as Xehanort had stabbed Umbra through the chest.

As everyone saw themselves run to the ships and watched Xehanort and Vanitas disappear, they were immediately taken to Mount Olympus. Umbra saw himself grow black feathered wings and had a suit of armor made of silver metal and wolf fur. He approached Zeus among his throne along with the other gods and listened to what Zeus had to say.

"Of all your time on Earth, you walked unable to die and with all your memories lost, so I grant them to be regained with your death of Valor."

Zeus placed his hand on Umbra's head and lightning struck unto him causing him to scream as all of Umbra's memories were restored to him.

"You know now don't you? You waged war on us and won, due to our selfishness, but I gave you amnesia and sent you to Earth as mortal, where you cut your own heart from your body as a roman legionnaire."

Umbra and the group watched in shock as they saw all the events unfold before them. Immediately, they were all taken to a field. They looked across the land and noticed a large rock path going up the hill in front of them, leading to a castle hidden in the trees. Among the field, they saw a great pond, a stone table next by, and a few other paths leading to an even larger field. The larger field contained a small incline directly in the middle and forest at the far end, which looked to contain a throne atop a tree.

The group eventually saw a young woman with long white hair in the middle of the field, saying to them, "And so you've returned and your destiny still unfolds. Kingdom Reptilia awaits!"*

Everyone awoke from the vision and collected themselves.

"Now that was crazy!", Ven said.

"Were you really a god? !", Terra asked.

"Yes, I was. I'm a mortal now though, so don't expect anything special to happen."

"Wait, I stabbed you through the chest with my keyblade. There wasn't any blood and you're still alive!", Vanitas exclaimed.

"Well, just like Nex's dragon transformation, that was only a one-time deal. It was from a serum that I invented called Reg-X."

"So you fought against the gods and won?" Xigbar asked.

"Yes, they fought me because I was Neutral, they confused it as selfishness. However, it was the gods who were selfish, they just didn't know it at the time. We waged war, I won, then was hit with amnesia from Zeus in a last attempt of redemption. From there, I was cast down near Rome, became a Legionnaire and found the black chest during a battle."

"Before you died, you said two names", Aqua said, "Rose and my name."

"Rose was the first love I had in Rome before I joined the Legion. I thought she would be my new world instead of searching for answers of my amnesia."

"What happened to Rose?", Aqua asked.

"Well, when I joined the Legion, it turned out that she left me for another man. I spent so much time with her, so much of my life back then. I entered into battle with a new purpose, to simply die! I charged hard into battle, killing many and all. When I found the chest, it told me what to do and my heart belonged to it. It was then when I couldn't die, killed the rest of the troops and left the Legion before my comrades could find me. I just slipped my armor on a dead soldier."

Axel asked, "So what about this Kingdom Reptilia?"

"This….Kingdom Reptilia, however, is unfamiliar to me."

Axel let out a well-deserved sigh.

"But thanks to that vision, I know exactly where to go now!"

"Is that our next destination now?", Nex asked curiously.

"Well Nex, it looks like it's going to be. Alright everyone, we have a new target and we need as much information as possible. Maybe this Kingdom Reptilia can provide some answers as to what is happening to me and "it".

"How much stuff are we taking?", Avis asked, at the ready.

"Grab whatever we need and take anything we might", Nex replied.

"Are we even coming back here?", asked Ven.

Umbra stood silent for a moment and finally answered, "To be honest, I have no idea Ven."

Umbra walked out the front door, carrying only his own weight. When everyone finished getting ready, Umbra finally stood up on the ramp of the Gummi Ship and smiled.

"Ready to go guys? Ready to go and find destiny?", said Umbra, with the wind blowing in his face and the sunset gleaming in his eyes.

Xion glanced at Umbra, "What are you talking about Umbra?"

Umbra merely smiled and looked at the sky, adoring the orange and purple colored clouds.

"Time to go", Umbra said as he boarded the ship.

As everyone boarded the ship and blasted away, Aqua and Umbra kept their distance from each other inside the ship, but gave each other smiles for every glace they made.

Ven approached Aqua and asked, "So Aqua, how have things been for you now that Umbra's back?"

Aqua quickly turned her attention from Umbra to Ven and answered, "Oh they've been lovely dear, just full of compassion and relief."

Ven hesitated and spoke, "Well Aqua, we were all wondering about…what happens now."

(Aqua POV)

_What happens now? Is he joking? He should damn well know at this point that I'm not taking any more love relations from them into my life! Especially now that I have my Umbra by my side and no one's going to take him away from me._

"Ven, please don't. I'm not having any more romantic relations with any one of you guys. If it causes this much drama between us then I'm letting love life go!"

"Hmm, I kind of knew you were going to say something like that Aqua. All I can really say is good job", Ven replied.

"What are you getting at Ven?"

"Well, everything you just said is true and correct so I'm doing the same thing as well. You should know now that all of us have moved on from this anyway. The drama IS stupid and needs to go away", Ven answered.

"Good Job!"

Ven shook his head, "Yeah yeah."

Aqua finally turned her head back to the other side of the ship and stared only at her lover.

_Oh if only everyone could understand the relationship between Umbra and I, then things would be so peaceful. If only they could just understand._

Umbra stepped out of the main room and walked to the hall. Aqua looked all around to make sure that nobody would notice her leaving. She slipped away while everyone else was busy looking at the navigation and weapon systems. When she entered the hall, she was immediately grabbed by Umbra, hiding against the wall, and was forced into his arms.

"Oh Umbra, you're too much of a sweetheart."

Umbra held Aqua comfortably in his arms and leaned her closer to him.

"I never knew how much love I could feel for you my Aqua. It's like I'm under your spell or something", Umbra commented.

"It's just how much I've felt for you and your resentment towards it being gone. It's none of my magicka."

"Of course dear, but it's just your sweet magicka that I feel on my lips every time we kiss that gets me to the best possible mood and feeling I ever have."

"Why is that baby?", Aqua said bringing her face closer to his.

"Because I haven't kissed any women for centuries and feeling yours is just the most amazing I've felt in all that time."

"Umbra dear, I have a question."

"What is it honey?", Umbra replied.

"What are you hoping to find in this Kingdom Reptilia?"

"To tell the honest truth dear, I'm hoping to find straight answers about it, why I keep having visions of it, and what it has to connect with my past", he said.

Aqua let out a great sigh.

"What's the matter baby?", said Umbra.

"I'm just so happy that you're here WITH ME right now. I can't believe you're actually here!"

"Well of course I'm here babe, I've always been here besides two weeks ago."

"That's not what I meant dear", Aqua said smiling, as she pushed Umbra against the wall, "I mean I can't believe that you're finally here, WITH ME, together as lovers."

"Ah, well I'm glad that we finally are too."

"Umbra?"

"Yes Aqua?"

Aqua gave a great smile, kissed him and said, "I love you so much!"

Umbra brushed Aqua's cheeks, "I love you too babe."

Aqua held Umbra's hand on her cheek, adoring the soft touch his hands could give upon her soft skin. To her, his hands felt like feathers or clouds. She closed her eyes to the great feeling of intimacy that she was feeling. Umbra brushed back her hair and opened her eyes, he leaned into her lips, wanting to feel every moment that was passing by.

"Guys, I think we're approaching our destination!", Nex said in the cockpit.

Umbra and Aqua re-entered the room and observed the flight window.

Umbra closed his fist and growled, "Finally!"

"Let's be careful guys, we don't know who or what could be here, but let's not take any chances of us pulling off something crazy", said Ven.

"All too true", Terra replied.

"Alright everyone, listen up", Umbra said as he gathered everyone on the ship in a huddle, "Our current goal is to find any and all answers to what these visions I'm having are. Maybe they can lead us to our next objective. We don't know a thing about anyone here, so we have to be EXTREMELY careful around this area."

"What are you hoping to find, Umbra?", Xion asked.

"Answers, just answers to all of this!", Umbra remarked.

(Umbra POV)

Aqua approached Umbra and lay her hand on his shoulder.

"Are you ready to go dear?", Aqua softly asked.

"Yes Aqua, ready…ready to approach destiny!"

Aqua shook her head and hugged him.

"Umbra, hear me out for a moment."

"Yes Aqua, what is it?"

"Please promise me that no matter what happens, you will still be the way you are now and not the one we knew before."

"Yeah bro, the old you was a great leader and all, but this new you is far more bestowing than the old heartless roamer we knew", Avis said.

"Well, thank you Avis", Umbra said, "And I promise Aqua, I will stay this way."

Aqua held Umbra tighter and gave the biggest hug her arms would allow her to give.

"Alright now here's the plan", Umbra said getting everyone's attention, "Organization XIII will cover the rear since they're highest in numbers, the Anti-Chasers will be at my right and the Chasers to my left. We'll all walk together in a wedge formation to keep our strength in numbers high and our resiliency at maximum."

Umbra looked down and let out a sigh.

"Umbra, are you ok dear?", Aqua asked.

Umbra focused his eyes on his lover, "Today, we either stick together, or fall together."

Xaldin raised his blades, "Till death!"

"Till Death!", everyone shouted.

Umbra let out a faint grin as he noticed the ship's hatch lower to the ground and walked faintly downward to the green patched earth.

"So, this is Kingdom Reptilia?", Umbra said as he gazed around.

Noticing he was at the beginning of the land, Umbra made out every detail he could on this gorgeous new territory he was observing. Although the sun still set and details hard to make out, Umbra could still manage to describe everything he was seeing.

The first thing he noticed was the same field that the group had been standing in during the vision, along with a large forest to its very end. Following the field upwards, he saw what appeared to be a large hill with the rocky path in front of them leading to it. The group split into a wedge formation and began to move tactically up the path, observing everything they could. About a half-mile down the path, they saw a stone table and a pond to their left, at the same spot they noticed it before. Looking forwards, they finally saw a castle hidden amongst the trees on the top of the hill.

The group followed the path, that curved left, going up the hill and were greeted by a group of six soldiers, wearing advanced armor and weaponry by the likes of which they had never seen before. In between the soldiers was a beautiful young woman with a white silk robe and long white hair. She carefully walked up to the only one she recognized.

"Oh Umbra, you've finally returned!"

Umbra winced at her response, "You…know who I am?"

"You told us this would happen sire, so you told us to keep your memories of us here in the simulator. I have the flash drive right here", the woman said as she pulled a USB flash drive from her sleeve.

"So, can you explain why I'm having these visions of this place?"

"Yes sire, it's because of this memory drive. Don't worry sire, you'll remember everything very soon and I know you don't remember, but you all call me "White" sire", the woman said.

"Well, Ms. White, please lead the way", Ven joked.

"Indeed", White said, "Please follow me."

As the large group followed White, two soldiers instantly followed behind them. White walked down the backside of the hill and faced the incline. She pressed the ground and it immediately began to move, revealing a large vault door. She scanned her hand on the door, causing the massive metal vault door to open and reveal the underground base and barracks of the Kingdom Reptiles.

"Whoa!", was all Ven could get out of his mouth.

Everyone was vaguely impressed by all the numbers of troops walking back and forth in the base along with all the computers and large monitors lining the front walls of the main room, with the barracks to the right and the offices to the left.

"Keep following me please!", said White.

The group followed the young woman to a virtual reality room, filled with pods that simulate a training environment. White took out the green USB from the computer and plugged in the black USB in her hand.

"Now sire, just as you planned, step into the pod and you shall gain your memory", White explained.

"Roger that"

"Umbra", Aqua said as she held Umbra back.

"What is it dear?"

"Remember what you promised hon."

Umbra kissed his dear love, "I know Aqua, I know. I'll be back shortly."

Umbra stepped into the pod and stared at the hatch, lowering above him. A sudden rush of adrenaline immediately hit his body as he was taken to a battlefield amongst evil mech's known as hornets. The date on the battlefield file read, "Birth Ages-6-Battle 1". After Umbra defeated his enemy, he was immediately taken to another battlefield. In the pod, Umbra learned that he was going through his entire life that he had left behind, before he left to fight Xehanort and Vanitas with the Chasers. The training was a non-stop 19 years in the pod. Finally, Umbra saw the words "Training Complete-Memory Stable". Umbra emerged out of the pod, wondering what all had happened in a time period of 19 years.

"Are you ok, Umbra?", White asked.

"I'm just fine White, in fact, I feel fit enough to go through another war again!"

"Oh Umbra, you're back!", White shouted, as she gave Umbra a hug.

Umbra saw Aqua standing in front of him, where she was when he had entered the pod. He gave her the largest hug and kissed her for a good long while.

"Umbra, it's not like I went anywhere. You were only in there for six seconds dear", Aqua calmly said.

"I'd forgotten about that, the training we imply on our troops is the most intense. It involves all my battles in my entire lifetime, all in all it takes 19 years to complete, but outside it appears as 6 seconds."

"What?", Terra shouted.

"That's how some of our clones don't make it."

"Whoa there Umbra, you're not making much sense", Mickey said, "Please tell us from the beginning."

"Well, let me start. Kingdom Reptilia is the city of the Kingdom Reptiles, the group I formed after my victory in the first 4-sided war. Green and Black are our colors as you can see by our armor. We are a very militaristic kingdom loaded with the most advanced gear that none seem to possess on this planet. We've done very well for ourselves and vise-versa in the past, but now I know why I have come back here."

"And what reason is that for?", Xion asked.

"Kingdom Reptilia needs more leadership, more power, and more moral amongst the troops. It needs to be a true kingdom again, but I can't do it by myself like I always did. That's why you're all here with me."

"What're you getting at Umbra?", Terra asked.

"I'm taking back my place as high king here in Kingdom Reptilia and you all are going to be my Generals."

"What?", Donald screamed.

"I know it seems farfetched now, but now we can finally live in peace. We can finally do what we want, go to any world, explore anything, and rule over this Kingdom and live our happy lives here in the kingdom I created."

Everyone stared around, not knowing what to think or say.

Aqua stepped forward, "I'll do it!"

Terra grabbed Aqua's arm, "Aqua, are you really sure you want to give up everything we know and traveled for on this place?"

"Terra, you need to understand", Aqua explained, "We're not giving up anything we've traveled and worked for. To me, I think that this is what we were meant for, to live in a place like this."

"I'm going too!", Ven said as he stepped forward.

Soon, everyone stepped forward and gave their trust to Umbra and the new Kingdom Reptiles.

"Organization XIII, you'll be your own separate group, but will be led by Xion as she is a General. Mickey, Donald and Goofy, I'm thinking it's best you return to the castle and report to Master Eraqus. It's best he see the true power this place holds. Everyone else, you are the Generals."

Everyone stepped back outside and carried out their new orders. Mickey, Donald and Goofy flew back to Disney Castle to report to Master Eraqus, Organization XIII followed Xion's command and became their own separate group for the Kingdom Reptiles, and everyone else was given General ranks and Squads to lead.

Umbra stood in front of the supply garage next by the castle and viewed the mountains on the horizon and in the distance. The sun was barely up behind him, just above the forest of trees behind the kingdom.

"So what happens now, Umbra?", Ven asked.

"Well Ven, we just let destiny take its course and see what the future soon holds."

Aqua walked over to Umbra, put her arm around his back, and laid her head on his shoulder.

"Now, we can really be together love. Now…we're home!"

Umbra lifted Aqua's head and kissed her softly while the others weren't looking.

"How long will this last, Umbra? Hiding it from the others?"

"It won't be hidden for too long my love. Hopefully we can have easier time together as time here progresses. We just have to wait love."

"Umbra?"

"Yes my dear Aqua?"

"Thank you for keeping your promise", Aqua said as she kissed Umbra in the starlit moonlight.


End file.
